Pilot, passenger killed in Yuma County plane crash were married, officials say
DATELAND, Ariz. - A husband and wife were killed after a plane crashed in Yuma County on Sept. 16, officials said.
An Arizona Dept. of Public Safety trooper was reportedly on patrol near Spot Road and Interstate 8 in Dateland when they saw a "large plume of smoke."
A small plane was discovered in the desert fully engulfed in flames.
Yuma County deputies found the bodies of the pilot and a passenger. They were identified as Ronald Barba, 61, and Marcela Barba, 47.
Both of them were residents of Tijuana, Mexico. They were flying from San Diego to Nogales when the crash happened, officials said.
The aircraft was described as a Van’s RV-6 two-seater plane, and the case is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.