Pulished November 24, 2011
APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz – Three adults and three children were on board a plane that exploded when it crashed into the Superstition Mountains, just east of Phoenix, on Wednesday evening, according to a local aviation school.
The body of a child -- aged between five and nine -- was found at the crash site several hours after authorities were first alerted to the tragedy, myFOXphoenix.com reported. No other victims or survivors have yet been found.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said it was believed the plane crashed shortly after taking off from nearby Falcon Field, where the pilot had picked up his three children. Authorities started receiving reports of an explosion about 6:30pm local time.
The pilot was also believed to have been accompanied by a mechanic and another adult, Babeu said at a press conference held Wednesday night.
"From what we heard, this plane left from Safford to Falcon Field in Mesa to pick up children for Thanksgiving to go back to Safford. So it's heartbreaking if that's the case," Babeu said.
Allen Kenitzer with the FAA says the plane was a Rockwell AC69 twin engine airplane which departed Falcon Field in Mesa. An FAA registry records check shows the plane is registered to Ponderosa Aviation Inc. out of Safford, Ariz.
Rescue crews were trying to land helicopters in the mountainous area about 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix in order to search for survivors, but are having difficulty with the rugged terrain.
"We hope and pray [those on board] can be found safe and alive," he said, adding that officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board were scheduled to arrive at the crash site by midday Thursday.
A law enforcement staging area was set up at the Lost Dutchman State Park.
A myFoxPhoenix viewer uploaded a video of the crash to YouTube from a greyscale webcam.
In the beginning, you see a small white light traveling from the left side of the screen to the right. At about :50, the light disappears. Then a few seconds later, there is a burst of light. The light that remains on the mountainside is the fire.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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