DATELAND, Ariz. — Authorities have identified the two people killed in a plane crash last week off Interstate 8 near Dateland as a couple from Mexico.
The two-seat aircraft crashed on the afternoon of Sept. 16, Yuma County Sheriff's Office officials said. The FAA is currently investigating what led up to the crash.
The people killed have been identified as Ronald Barba, 61, and Marcela Barba, 47, from Tijuana, Mexico.
The husband and wife were flying from San Diego to Nogales at the time of the incident, YCSO says.
The aircraft was identified as a Van's RV-6 two-seater plane.
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According to reports from the sheriff's office, a DPS Trooper saw a large plume of smoke while on patrol on the highway.
When the trooper arrived, they found the aircraft grounded and fully engulfed in flames. YCSO deputies were then contacted for further investigation.
Deputies found the pilot and passenger of the plane dead on the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were contacted to handle investigations.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Yuma County Sheriff's Office at 928-783-4427.
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