WEST JORDAN, Utah — Family members have confirmed to FOX 13 News that Creighton King was the pilot killed in a small plane crashed near the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan on Wednesday.
READ: What to know about racing plane in West Jordan crash
The crash happened shortly after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Copper Hills Parkway and 7800 South.
No other injuries or fatalities were reported.
Photos captured by FOX 13 News show the red plane with blue lettering collapsed on the road.
Many people witnessed the crash take place, describing how something wasn't right.
"It did something weird, it kind of took off and then did a sudden bank and just plummeted straight down," said Caesar Rocha.
Rocha added that he didn't hear a long explosion or crash, and didn't know exactly what had happened until he got home and heard sirens coming from the area.
An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said the fence being knocked down showed evidence that there was contact with the plane, as well as oil deposits on the road.
Photos captured by FOX 13 News show the red plane with blue lettering collapsed on the road.
Jeremy Lowe was driving when he saw the Hensler Cassutt plane in pieces on the street.
"It was just debris all over the road and a gentleman that was laying there in the middle of the road," he said.
The former Marine and another driver jumped into action and performed CPR on the pilot.
"For me, it was military training kicked back in," Lowe said. "I just knew what I had to do to help try and save his life."
King raced his plane in several big events, including the Reno Air Races. In 2018, King crashed another plane along the shore of Utah Lake. He was uninjured in the incident and was able to walk away.
West Jordan City officials report the road will be closed around the crash scene for "several hours" as an investigation is conducted. They ask that residents avoid the area.
"We don’t know the expectancy of how long it’s going to take to open this street up again. But at this time we would just say to the residents to avoid this area so that we can conduct our investigation," said Det. Alondra Zavala with the West Jordan Police Department.
In a report by KTNV Las Vegas, the plane was also involved in a mid-air collision at Reno Air Races in 2019, although it was able to land safely with no injuries.
According to friend and business partner Robby Flandro, King was always aware of the risks associated with competitive flying but was always prepared.
"He was smart, a good pilot but he's, you know, he's had a couple of scares in the past but he's been able to maneuver and be safe in the past just because of his skills and his experience that he's had," said Flandro. "I think sometimes it's just your time."
Flandro had always known King to be a cheerful person that everyone loved.
"He just was a fun, good-hearted guy with lots of friends," he said. "It didn't matter if he disagreed with you or agreed with you, he'd still be your friend too."
King's plane in particular was known to be especially fast, participating in events from India and China. Flandro shared that King had recently installed a new propeller on the plane too.
"He's been building it, rebuilding it and modifying it, making it faster for many years," said Flandro. "He's very he was very mechanical and mechanically inclined."
King's sister, Harmonie Wheeler, remembers him as an accomplished inventor and family man who attained his pilot license at the age of 16.
"The inventor of Griplock ties, an accomplished pilot for the past 34 years, he was active in community politics and his church," she said. "Above all he's a very proud loving husband and father of two girls."
A fundraiser to remember King is seeking to raise money for his wife and two daughters as they pray for burial expenses and "many financial burdens that may come."
The crash is one of several that have happened near the small regional airport in West Jordan. Most recently, a plane was forced to make an emergency landing on a nearby soccer field after taking off from the South Valley Regional Airport on Memorial Day weekend. In that situation, nobody was injured.
In February, a small plane landed on Bangerter highway in West Jordan after the pilot, who was attempting to fly from Phoenix to Ogden, experienced an engine malfunction and couldn't make it to the South Valley Regional Airport for a safe landing. Nobody was injured in that incident and the plane was not damaged.
Nearly a year ago, another plane crashed into a soccer field after a gust of wind forced the plane down, landing just South of the airport. Two men aboard the aircraft were not injured.
