Wreckage of a plane that crased on Monday; May 24th, 2010 near Paulden Ariz. (Image source: YCSO)
Paulden, Ariz. (NAZ Today)- At approximately 9:30 A.M. on Monday the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) began receiving reports of a plane that had crashed near the town of Paulden. Once rescue crews arrived on scene they found the pilot, 79-year-old Harry Rice trapped in the wreckage of the plane he had been piloting. While crews were working to extract Rice from the plane he was coherent and talking to the rescue personnel. Once he was removed from the plane he was then airlifted to the Flagstaff Regional Medical Center. At approximately 2 P.M., the YCSO received word that Rice had died.
Dwight Develyn from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says “It appears the pilot was in a take off mode from the Big Spring Ranch runway when the accident occurred. The plane crashed in an area beyond the airstrip’s edge and below the level of the airstrip itself.”
Rice was piloting an amateur built, fixed wing, single engine plane. He was the only one in the aircraft.
The Coconino County Medical Examiner is expected to take custody of Rice’s body and an autopsy will be performed to determine if any medical conditions might have contributed to this accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will begin the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
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