PAYSON, Utah Aug. 13, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Police now say the crash of a small Cessna jet plane into a house overnight in Payson, Utah, was an intentional act.
According to a statement by Payson police Sgt. Noemi Sandoval, 47-year-old Duane Youd, was arrested on a domestic violence call at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Four hours later, he was released from the Utah County Jail and returned home about midnight accompanied by a police officer to retrieve personal belongings from the residence, at 584 E. Canyon Road.
At 2:30 a.m. a dual-engine Cessna Citation jet was heard flying “low and loud” over a Payson neighborhood. Witnesses told Gephardt Daily they were then stunned when the plane plunged from the sky, clipping the garage of one residence before exploding in flames in front of Youd’s own home.
Youd’s wife and a juvenile were inside the home at the time of the crash, but managed to escape uninjured.
Police say the Cessna 525 Citation was “borrowed” from a hanger at the Spanish Fork Airport.
According to FAA records obtained by Gephardt Daily, the plane was owned by VanCon, Inc. in Springville and Youd was named as the company’s corporate pilot.
