Calif. man identified as 1 killed in Saturday plane crash near Jean

A California man was identified Sunday as one of two people who died Saturday evening near Jean in the crash of a single-engine plane registered to a Henderson company offering “aerobatic stunt rides.”

The Clark County coroner’s office identified the man as Steven Peterson, 32, of Rohnert Park, California.

The plane, an Extra EA300, is registered to Vegas Extreme Adventures LLC, McCarran International Airport spokeswoman Linda Healy said Sunday.

On its website, the company, also known as Sky Combat Ace, offers instructional aerobatic stunt flights and air tours. Prices range from nearly $300 to $2,000.

The two men aboard the plane were an instructional pilot and a student, a company statement posted on Reno television station KRXI’s website shows.

“On behalf of all Vegas Extreme Adventures employees and staff, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and have been affected by this unfortunate accident. Vegas Extreme Adventures is working closely and cooperating with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the accident,” the statement said.

The company, which also operates in San Diego, has provided instructional aerobatic airplane rides to the general public since 2011 and has conducted more than 15,000 incident-free flights over the last five years, the statement said.

No information was available Sunday about what flight the pair on, but one offered is the Fighter Pilot Experience. It allows participants to “play the role of fighter pilot on an adrenaline-rushing, 15-minute thrill ride over Las Vegas and the surrounding region,” according to the travel website Viator.com.

The ride involves a 15-minute flight aboard an Extra 330LC aircraft with a professional fighter pilot, touring the Mojave Desert while flying up to 250 miles per hour and experiencing some aerobatic maneuvers followed by a military-style landing, the website said.

On Saturday, The plane left Henderson Executive Airport at around 4 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration Public Affairs Manager Ian Gregor said Sunday.

When the plane didn’t return at the expected time, which wasn’t specified, company employees reported it missing to the airport’s control tower and launched an aircraft for search and rescue operations, according to the company statement.

Police and emergency crews responded to the area after receiving a call about a small-engine plane that crashed at about 5 p.m., Las Vegas police said Saturday.

Clark County Fire Engine 65 was the first unit to arrive on the crash scene around 6 p.m. Saturday, Deputy Fire Chief John Steinbeck said Sunday. The crew found two deceased people, one still in his seat and the other thrown 40 feet from the plane.

The crash occurred about 4 miles east of Las Vegas Boulevard and a half mile south of 8 Mile Road, a mining road. The area is near State Route 604 and Lightweight Road, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash, Gregor said.

A National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Gorelow said Sunday that although there were thunderstorms in the Las Vegas area Saturday, no storms occurred in the area near Jean at the time of the crash Saturday.

A sign on the Sky Combat Ace’s offices at 1420 Jet Stream Drive near the Henderson Executive Airport said the company would be closed until May 9.