Three people killed Sunday in a plane crash on approach to the Yuma Municipal Airport were identified today as Yuma residents Robert Moran and his wife, Dorothy, both 71. The pilot was identified as Paul Nunn, 63, of Pueblo.
Robert Moran was a heavy-equipment mechanic who lived with his wife on a farm near Yuma, said Daniel Baucke, Yuma County deputy coroner. He said Moran was well-known in Yuma, where many members of the Moran family live.
The aircraft was registered to Nunn, according to Mike Fergus of the Federal Aviation Administration.
David Bowling, regional director of the National Transportation Safety Board in Denver, said initial reports indicate that the plane went out of control as it approached the Yuma airport.
“We are basing that on when it hit, it tumbled and broke, which is an indication that the aircraft wasn’t under control at the time it crashed,” he said.
He said investigators will try to determine the cause, which could range from engine failure, a sudden downdraft, incapacitation of the pilot or foggy ground conditions.
The plane crashed at 8:27 a.m. Sunday, hitting the ground 100 yards northeast of the airport on private property, said Fergus. It was not on fire before the crash but caught fire and was completely destroyed by the impact and flames after it hit the ground.
The plane was a four-seat Piper PA-24 Comanche built in 1959.
Fergus emphasized that the age of the Pipers do not hamper their airworthiness as long as they are properly maintained. He said there was nothing to indicate that the plane had not been properly maintained.
The plane left Pueblo earlier in the day Sunday, and Nunn had talked to air-traffic controllers about 10 minutes before the crash. He did not indicate there were any problems, said Fergus.
Bowling of the NTSB said that as part of the investigation, the agency will ask for an autopsy on the pilot, including toxicology reports. They also will examine Nunn’s flight expertise.
The investigation team that arrived Sunday night in Yuma includes members of the NTSB and FAA, as well as representatives of the plane manufacturer and the manufacturer of the engine in the plane.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
