CEDAR FORT, Utah, Jan. 20, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) –- An audio clip of Donald Baker’s mayday call just seconds before his jet plane crashed in Utah County, killing both him and his wife, has been released.
In the recording you can hear Baker is having mechanical issues and is requesting to fly at a higher altitude just before the communication is lost with Air Traffic Controllers.
Baker, 59, and his wife, Dawn Elizabeth Hunter, 55, died when their 1999 Cessna Citation 525 crashed in a field near Cedar Fort just two-and-a-half minutes after taken off from Salt Lake International Airport.
According to Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon, dispatchers received a call just before 10 a.m. from witnesses who reported seeing an airplane crashing in a ball of flames into a large field just west of Utah Lake, near Provo.
Even though the plane carries 10 to 12 occupants, Cannon said there were only two on board, both of whom were deceased when crews arrived.
According to Flight Aware, a plane registered to Donald L. Baker of Tucson, Arizona, left the Salt Lake International Airport at 9:51 a.m and was headed to the Tucson International Airport. It was scheduled to arrive at 11:33 but the website does not show the plane ever arriving at its destination.
Sonu Wasu, a reporter with Tucson News Now, spoke with a few of Baker’s colleagues who reported a mayday call from Baker was received requesting permission to fly at higher altitudes when communication was lost.
According to his Facebook page, Baker is a co-owner of Larsen Baker, LLC., a Tucson-based commercial real estate firm. On their Linkedin page they describe the firm as the largest independent retail-commercial property owner in Tucson, managing more than two million square feet of commercial space in more than 148 locations throughout Tucson and Southern Arizona.
AÂ statement was given to Tucson News Now by Larsen Baker, LLC:
“We ask for forbearance in this extremely trying time. A statement will be made later this week once more information is known.”
Bruce Ash, a certified property manager at the Paul Ash Management company, told Tuscon News Now that he had known Baker since he moved to Tucson more than 25 years ago.
“I’m just absolutely devastated…we traveled together, we would have dinner once a month. Don was not the sort of person to take chances, he was a very, very careful pilot. Very fastidious at everything that he did, a very, very experienced flyer, I’m just devastated,” Ash said. “He was a very heavy hitter. Don was one of the biggest developers and operators certainly here in Arizona, very well respected by all of his peers and by all of his competitors. Everybody thought the world of Don Baker.”
Baker was also a well known figure in a tight-knit Jewish community.
In an interview with Tuscon News Now, Stu Mellan with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona described him as a good philanthropist who contributed time, money and expertise into bringing many projects to life.
Officials said Baker and his wife were returning home from a conference in Park City.
