BENSON — A Benson man was one of the two passengers killed Wednesday night when the small plane they were in crashed at Benson Municipal Airport.
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The plane crashed during a landing attempt at about 7:30 p.m. at the airport, about three miles north of Benson. One witness said the plane made one approach, circled back around and landed hard on the second attempt, which then caused the aircraft to bounce, and flip over.
The twin-engine Beechcraft Baron was destroyed and there was no fire. Investigators recovered the mangled aircraft and the bodies Thursday afternoon.
Howard Plaguens, National Transportation Safety Board investigator in charge, said the investigation is in its initial stages.
Plaguens said investigators were not sure where the plane was coming from. “We’re in the preliminary stage of our investigation,” Plaguens said. “We’re documenting the wreckage, checking the area for ground scars, etc.” He said the initial stage could take a few days.
Benson authorities were alerted at 7:31 p.m., according to the city police incident call log and confirmed by Spangler. Fire Departments from St. David, Mescal and Pomerene assisted, as well as the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
Plaguens said it could take several months to complete the investigation.
Spangler said the initial call came across as a major plane crash, and authorities were unsure what they were dealing with until they arrived on scene.
“Plane crashes are very rare for us,” said Spangler, acknowledging the efforts of all area crews who offered assistance.
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