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Two dead in Cache County plane crash

The plane’s occupants were with the Utah State University aviation program.

Two people died Friday morning after a plane, which was part of the Utah State University’s aviation program, crashed in southwestern Cache County.

Blake Shumway, a USU flight instructor, and Michael Carpenter, an aviation student who expected to graduate this fall, died in the crash, according to university officials. They were the only two people on the plane.

“We are devastated by this morning’s tragic crash and the loss of members in our USU community,” President Noelle Cockett said in a news release. “Every student and employee is part of our Aggie family, and we know many individuals will feel this loss deeply.”

The Cache County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that witnesses called police at about 9 a.m. after seeing the crash site near 2685 South Highway 23, between Mendon and Wellsville, Utah.

The Cache County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash alongside the Cache County Fire District and investigators from Utah State University. The National Transportation Safety Board is taking the lead on the crash investigation.