2 Dead After Plane Crashes in Remote Arizona Wilderness

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office helicopter crew is credited with pinpointing the exact location of the wreckage.

Published: 8/12/2026, 7:11:46 AM EDT

2 Dead After Plane Crashes in Remote Arizona Wilderness — Mazatzal Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona in a file photo. (Shutterstock)

Two people died late Monday night when a small plane went down in a remote, mountainous area of northern Arizona.

The Gila County Sheriff's Office said in a news release obtained by NTD News that the wreckage was found west of Polles Mesa within the Mazatzal Wilderness, a rugged stretch of terrain near Payson.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane involved was a Glasair Sportsman 2+2, which went down around 11 p.m.

Authorities identified the two people aboard as 75-year-old Brad Lawrence and 19-year-old Carter Buckner, both residents of Payson.

Because the crash site sat in such difficult, remote terrain, Gila County authorities said they needed outside help to reach it. The sheriff’s office said deputies received support from helicopter crews based in both Maricopa County and Pinal County.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office helicopter crew is credited with pinpointing the exact location of the wreckage. From there, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office helicopter ferried deputies directly to the scene so they could begin an initial on-the-ground investigation, a task authorities said was necessary "because of the 'remoteness and rugged terrain'" of the crash site.

As is standard procedure for aviation accidents, the case has been handed off to federal authorities. According to the FAA, both that agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating what led to the crash.

Officials have not yet released a cause, and few additional details have been made public.

2nd Deadly Small-Plane Incident This Month

Monday's crash was at least the second fatal small-aircraft incident reported in recent days. A 48-year-old man from Bend, Oregon, died Aug. 4 after intentionally crashing his Cirrus SR22T in a wooded area outside the city.

That pilot, identified as Steven Nicholas Charlton, had circled over the forest for more than five hours before bringing the plane down around 6:46 p.m., according to detectives with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. He was the only person aboard and was killed on impact, with no injuries or property damage reported on the ground.

Charlton had been indicted the day before on five felony counts of first-degree invasion of personal privacy. Prosecutors alleged he secretly recorded two people in states of undress without their consent between June and September 2025.

That crash triggered a large-scale precautionary response involving the FBI, the FAA, Bend Fire & Rescue and other local agencies. The FAA also confirmed the incident in a statement to NTD News, noting the National Transportation Safety Board would lead that investigation as well.

Small-aircraft accidents have continued to occur elsewhere in the country in recent days. On Aug. 6, two people died when a Beechcraft Bonanza crashed during takeoff at George R. Carr Memorial Airfield in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release that both people aboard were pronounced dead at the scene, though their identities had not been released.

Separately, two people were critically injured on Aug. 9 when a Piper PA-32-300 crashed into trees northeast of Elliott Field Airport in Dawson County, Georgia, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. First responders found one occupant outside the wreckage and worked to free a second person trapped inside, and the aircraft reportedly experienced engine trouble while attempting to land at the nearby airport. Officials had not released the names of the victims or disclosed the cause of that crash as of the latest update.

In a post on X, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said that he is praying for the two people injured in the crash.

“As a former helicopter pilot, I know firsthand that every time an aviator takes flight, they’re trusting their training, their aircraft, and the systems around them to bring them home safely,” he wrote.