Former Phillies pitcher Tyson Brummett, 35, and three others die after small plane he was piloting crashes in Utah

  • The plane left from the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon just before 8am on Friday 
  • A witness said the plane went into a downward corkscrew motion as it crashed
  • The other passengers were identified as Elaine W. Blackhurst, 60, her husband Douglas Robinson Blackhurst, 62 and their nephew Alex Blackhurst Ruegner, 35 
  • 'The Phillies organization sends heartfelt condolences', the team said Saturday  

By Associated Press

Published: | Updated:

A former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and three others died in a plane crash in rural Utah.

Ex-pitcher Tyson Brummett, 35, of Salt Lake City, was flying the small plane, which left from the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon just before 8am Friday, according to the Utah County Sheriff´s Office.

A witness said the plane went into a downward corkscrew motion as it crashed.

Tyson Brummett, pictured in 2012, and three others died in a plane crash in rural Utah. The Utah County Sheriff's Office says the ex-pitcher was flying the small plane, which crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon just before 8 a.m. Friday

Tyson Brummett, pictured in 2012, and three others died in a plane crash in rural Utah. The Utah County Sheriff's Office says the ex-pitcher was flying the small plane, which crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon just before 8 a.m. Friday

A witness said the plane went into a downward corkscrew motion as it crashed

A witness said the plane went into a downward corkscrew motion as it crashed

TV station WPVI reports all four people on board did not survive. They are thought to have been killed on impact. 

The passengers were identified as Elaine W. Blackhurst, 60, her husband Douglas Robinson Blackhurst, 62; and their nephew Alex Blackhurst Ruegner, 35. The three were from Riverton, Utah.

Ruegner is said to have got married just eight months ago.  

In a statement police said: 'A man and two of his sons were hiking when they saw the plane begin to turn, then spiral downward. The witness said the plane spiraled out of his view and moments later he heard the impact.' 

Eyewitness Gregg Rawlings told KUTV: 'It corkscrewed maybe one-and-a-half, two times and went below the tree level. 

'And we’re like, 'what is going on?' I didn’t know if it was a stunt plane trying to do something, but just moments later we heard the impact.'

'The Phillies organization sends heartfelt condolences to the family of and friends of former pitcher Tyson Brummett, along with three members of the Ruegner and Blackhurst families, who tragically passed away in a plane crash yesterday morning,' the team said in a statement released Saturday.

Elaine W. Blackhurst and her husband Douglas Robinson Blackhurst died in the crash

Elaine W. Blackhurst and her husband Douglas Robinson Blackhurst died in the crash 

Victim Alex Blackhurst Ruegner is said to have got married just eight months ago

Victim Alex Blackhurst Ruegner is said to have got married just eight months ago

Brummett was drafted by the Phillies in 2007 out of UCLA

Brummett was drafted by the Phillies in 2007 out of UCLA

Chris Blackhurst, Elaine's sister-in-law, told KUTV: 'She was the perfect mom for four boys. I just adored her so much.'

Her nephew Scott Blackhurst added: 'I was always really close to Aunt Elaine. She beat to her own drum. And doesn't always go with what everybody else is doing, but wants to do what she does, and that's how I've always felt.' 

Brummett was drafted by the Phillies in 2007 out of UCLA.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the crash.

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