Pilot dies when small plane crashes near Boulder City Airport
The pilot of a small plane was killed after his aircraft crashed in the desert Friday afternoon near the Boulder City airport.
Boulder City spokeswoman Rose Ann Miele said the pilot was flying from Phoenix and above Lake Mead when he made a distress call to the airport saying he was running out fuel. The crash occurred about 4:30 p.m.
The pilot was the lone occupant of the Beechcraft BE35 Bonanza, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
The plane was en route from Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix to Henderson, Gregor said. The crash occurred south of the airport, he said.
"He tried to make it to the airport," Miele said.
"He crashed because he ran out of fuel."
The pilot's identity was not immediately available.
The plane's registered owner is listed as Brett Beuckens out of Queen Creek, a Phoenix suburb.
The FAA was on the scene Friday and the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive today.
