Former Philadephia Phillies pitcher Tyson Colby Brummett died in a plane crash on the morning of Friday, July 3, according to a press release issued by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash killed 35-year-old Brummett and three other people, according to the news release. The other three individuals who were also in the aircraft during the crash were Brummett’s friend, 35-year-old Alex Blackhurst Ruegner from Riverton, and Ruegner’s aunt and uncle, 60-year-old Elaine W. Blackhurst and 62-year-old Douglas Robinson Blackhurst, from Riverton, according to the press release.
In the press release, it was stated that the four of them had flown out from the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan before the plane crashed near Box Elder Peak in American Fork Canyon.
The crash was witnessed by a man who was hiking with his two sons. The witnesses said they saw the plane turning and spiraling downward before hitting the ground. According to the man, the aircraft had spiraled out of control and flew out of sight before the sound of the impact was heard.
The witnesses called the authorities before 8 a.m. in the morning, and while waiting for the authorities to arrive, the witnesses went over to where the aircraft crashed to the ground and verified that the occupants of the aircraft died on impact.
Authorities at the Utah County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched the scene of the crash just before 8 a.m., according to the press release.
“UCSO Search and Rescue responded, as did Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter and Lone Peak Fire and Ambulance,” the press release states. “The DPS helicopter crew shuttled Detectives, SAR, and medical personnel to the scene.”
Once they had arrived to the scene of the crime, they verified that the victims were deceased. Authorities believed that the victims died on impact when the aircraft landed.
“The DPS crew assisted the Medical Examiner with recovering the bodies of the victims. Those bodies were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Taylorsville. NTSB and FAA investigators will respond to the crash scene in an effort to determine the cause of the crash,” the press release indicated.
It is not yet known what the cause of the crash was, according to the press release.