CENTERVILLE, Utah — The pilot of a small plane was killed Tuesday morning when the aircraft crashed off Legacy Parkway in Centerville.
Officials originally believed two people were on the single-engine plane at the time of the crash, but now confirm only 43-year-old Donald Nathan Higgs from Plain City was on board when it went down at 11:35 a.m. in a field near the 1500 North exit.
"We actually had a Salt Lake officer who was driving on Legacy Park Parkway and witnessed the plane crash," said Lt. Allen Ackerson with the Centerville Police Department.
Despite the officer getting to the crash immediately, Higgs was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ackerson said Higgs was able to send out a transmission that there were issues with the plane moments before it went down. Police remain unsure of Higgs's flight plan before the crash, but say he was flying a Van's RV-8.
"We do believe he was out of Sky Park, but we're not positive on that either other than it went nose first into the ground," Ackerson added.
The National Transportation Safety Board, along with the FAA, will be looking at different factors in regards to what led up to the crash.
Traffic on the highway was slowed near the crash, but there were no lane closures in southbound lanes. A nearby trail has been closed to pedestrians as the investigation continues.
"I do know the pilot community here in the Davis County area is a small tight knit community, so there are gonna be many people mourning a loss today," said Ackerson.
