Gary Logan, the 54-year-old pilot who died in a plane crash in a remote area of southern Utah on Tuesday, had taken his plane out for one of his typical, just-for-fun flights, leaving the North Las Vegas Airport just before 7 a.m.
"He loved to fly," said Mary Weisbrod, who has worked with Logan at his car dealerships for nearly 20 years. "A lot of people that you work for are just people you work for, but he was a friend and mentor. We're all just crying our hearts out."
Weisbrod worked for Logan in Arizona, and about 10 years ago she relocated to Las Vegas when he opened an Acura dealership there.
"He was a great man and a wonderful guy to work for," said Kathy Paul, who spent a decade working with Logan at the dealership's office. "He'll be missed dearly."
The badly burned Piper Meridian plane, which was registered to Logan Investments of Nevada Inc, was found about 2:30 p.m. near Utah Hill, east of the Beaver Dam Wash on Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration's Web site showed Logan received his airman certification in September 2006.
The National Transportation Safety Board began its investigation into what caused the crash Wednesday afternoon.
