By Region 8 Newsdesk
MELBOURNE, Ark. (KAIT) – Izard County officials say one person died Monday when their plane crashed in a fiery explosion.
Gary Dickerson, director of the emergency management office, said the crash happened around 11:15 a.m. Aug. 9, about a quarter of a mile west of the John E. Miller Field/Melbourne Municipal Airport on Caney Springs Road.
Charley Melton, the Chief Deputy with the Izard County Sheriff’s Office says the plane took off from the Melbourne Municipal Airport and was possibly headed to Heber Springs.
“Deputies responded along with Melbourne Fire department personnel. We found the plane fully engulfed in flames. At that time, they extinguished the fire and we discovered one body inside the plane,” said Melton.
The sheriff’s office is unsure what type of plane it was.
The body has been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for identification. There is also an investigation underway on what caused the crash.
People on the ground heard a loud boom then saw the plane go into the tree line where it exploded into flames.
Only one person was on board at the time, Dickerson said. He confirmed that one person died.
Region 8 News will update this story as more details emerge.
https://www.kait8.com/2021/08/09/one-person-killed-fiery-plane-crash/
