USU student pilot dies in plane crash

A 21-year-old Utah State University student-pilot, Frank M. DeLeon Compres, died Monday after the plane he was flying, crashed near Mt. Sterling.

Chief Deputy Matt Bilodeau said the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, fire, and Search and Rescue personnel were all dispatched to the area after receiving reports of the downed aircraft.

“When we arrived at the crash site the pilot was deceased,” said Bilodeau. “We are currently conducting an investigation through the Cache County Sheriff’s Office and the Medical Examiner’s Office.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also investigating the cause of the accident.

Bilodeau said an emergency beacon on the plane helped lead searchers to the crash site.

“Something happens to that aircraft, that beacon deploys and starts giving a location of where that aircraft might be.”

DeLeon Compres was a senior in the Aviation Technology program. USU Public Relations Director Tim Vitale said, “He was a really good kid who was heavily involved with the school. Our hearts go out to the family.”

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