Heart Ache

I just wanted to say how sorry I am to all the families that lost a mother, sister, brother, father, or friend in the tragic plane crash. My heart aches at the thought of the tremendous loss of such wonderful people in the Cedar City community. It's made me realize that life is not always a guarantee and you should tell the people you love how much they mean to you everyday that you can. Hold on to the memories you make and make those memories the best you can because they may be your last.
For those of you who haven't heard this is the news from ksl.com.


Sheriff: 10 dead in Moab plane crash
August 23rd, 2008 @ 5:35pm
By Gene Kennedy
Tragedy in southern Utah, as a community mourns the loss of 10 people killed in a plane crash. The plane went down last night near Moab and was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived. No one on board survived. All the victims are from Cedar City

We know almost all of them worked for the Southwest Skin and Cancer/Red Canyon Aesthetics & Medical Spa, a medical group that provides cancer screenings and also dermatology services for the people who are in rural Southern Utah.


This group was led by Dr. Lansing Ellsworth. This was a day-long clinic they did in Moab. They were heading home to Cedar City last night when the twin-engine plane went down literally moments after takeoff and crashed 18 miles northwest of Moab.

Dane Leavitt, CEO of the Leavitt Group, knew Dr. Ellsworth. He said, "It's the same reaction I feel now, that of just shock, deep sadness. Trying to be of service to those affected, the love for those that we've lost, this is a loss that affects really all of Southern Utah."


The plane was a twin-engine Beech King Air A-100. It was owned by the Leavitt Group out of Cedar City. David White was the pilot. It's unclear what problems he was having before the crash, or why the plane went down. The Leavitt Group said he was an experienced pilot and flew this particular route several times. He had been on these medical missions before.

Crews on Saturday sifted through the wreckage on a small rise about two miles from the runway. Bodies were placed in body bags and carted away.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Tealeye Cornejo said she didn't believe anyone could have survived the crash.

Investigators will try to determine if the plane caught fire before or after it hit the ground. The investigation will be made more difficult because much of the plane burned. "The fire was so intense, there's not a lot of it left," she said.

Grand County Sheriff James Nyland identified those killed as pilot David White; the company's director, Dr. Lansing Ellsworth, 50, and his son Dallin Ellsworth, 23; David Goddard, 60, and his daughter Cecilee Goddard, 31; Mandy Johnson; Marcie Tillery, 29; Valerie Imlay, 52; Keith Shumway, 29; and Camie Vigil, 25.

"It is with disbelief that we struggle to comprehend the events of yesterday," the Ellsworth family said in a statement issued Saturday afternoon. Those from the company "provided much needed dermatology care to patients who might otherwise go without."

Linda Snow, the company's office manager in Cedar City, said, "We are just deeply saddened. These are individuals that were highly skilled and very professional in what they do, and they will be missed."

The airplane was built in 1975 and was well-maintained, Leavitt said. His company has owned it for six years.

E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com

(The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)