One person was killed and two others seriously injured when a single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff here, authorities said.
The names of the three were withheld pending notification of family members, but all were from Boise, Idaho.Elko County Sheriff Neil Harris said the male pilot was killed and the two passengers, a woman and young man, were taken to a Boise hospital with serious injuries.
He said the Skylane Cessna crashed at 2 a.m. Saturday, but a search for it didn't begin until 3:20 p.m. Saturday because the plane's emergency locator transmitter was destroyed and authorities were unaware it went down.
The plane was found later in the day three miles south of the Jackpot airport. Its destination was not immediately known. Jackpot is located on the Nevada-Idaho border 119 miles north of Elko.
Harris said rescuers were amazed anybody survived the crash because the plane was destroyed. The female passenger told them the plane experienced mechanical failure.
"She said the pilot uttered an expletive and then they crashed," he said.