The real estate industry has been shocked due to the sudden and untimely death of a known real estate firm owner, Donald Baker. The 59-year-old Baker was aboard a two-engine private jet together with his wife, Dawn Hunter, 55, when it reportedly crashed in Cedar Fort, Utah.
According to Tucson website, there were no other passengers aboard the plane, which was on the way going to Tucson from Salt Lake City. Suddenly, the witnesses said, there were flames that came out from the engine of 1999 Cessna Citation 525. The plane erupted, killing the two passengers.
There were evident debris of the burned jet left in the crash site. Since the time of the incident, the investigators have been gathering evidence and facts to determine the main cause of the crash.
Baker was a known real estate personality. He was the co-owner of Larsen Baker LLC. In Arizona, he was said to be the owner of about more than 2.5 million square feet of retail space property.
Baker and Hunter were believed to have been engaged in 2012. A report from Daily Mail said the couple owned a house worth $3.2 million.
Meanwhile, according to aviation records, the co-owner of Larsen Baker LLC had acquired his pilot's license since 2008. Before the incident, he had filed a flight plan to leave Salt Lake City International Airport.
The cause of the crash, as of now, is believed as a mechanical error of the engine. Reports said the two had tried but failed to go back to Salt Lake City.
Hank Amos, president of Tucson Realty & Trust Co., expressed his sympathy, saying: "Don was truly well-respected in the commercial real estate industry. He had an amazing run in Tucson, especially in retail. It's obviously a big loss."
The Cessna plane left at 9:51 a.m., and at 10 a.m., the Utah County Sherriff's department quickly responded to the reported plane crash.
