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Man and woman from Vista killed in Arizona plane crash

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Posted at 1:53 PM, Apr 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-19 20:34:11-04

(KGTV) -- A man and woman from Vista were killed after the small plane they were in crashed in northern Arizona, authorities said.

According to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, a small plane departed Sedona Airport Sunday morning and was scheduled to arrive at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport at 9 a.m. local time. The distance between the two airports is about 109 miles.

At around 6 p.m. on Sunday, deputies received a report regarding an “overdue aircraft.” A family member said the occupants of the plane “had not reported for work as scheduled” that day.

A search was launched for the plane, and early Monday morning, wreckage was spotted in a wooded area near Williams Airport, an airfield located about 60 miles from Sedona Airport.

Authorities at the scene confirmed the deaths of two of the plane’s occupants. They were identified as 37-year-old Timothy Michael Gill and 38-year-old Joylani Roseann Kamalu, both from Vista.

The cause of the crash is being investigated by the NTSB, FAA, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, and the county’s Medical Examiner’s Office.