A former major league pitcher and three others were killed after the small plane they were traveling in crashed in the Utah mountains, just outside of Salt Lake City, authorities said.
Tyson Brummett was piloting the Cessna 172 when it went down in American Fork Canyon shortly after departing from Regional Airport in West Jordan on Friday. According to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, everyone onboard died upon impact.
The 35-year-old former athlete was killed in the crash alongside his friend, 35-year-old Alex Ruegner, as well as Ruegner's 62-year-old uncle, Douglas Blackhurst, and 60-year-old aunt, Elaine Blackhurst, authorities said in a press release. They were all pronounced dead on the scene.
Officers with the UCSO Search and Rescue responded to the crash site around 8 a.m. after receiving an emergency call from a hiker and his two sons, who all witnessed the plane's downward spiral.
Brummett, who pitched a single game for the Phillies, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2007 for Philadelphia. During his lone appearance, the right-handed reliever struck out two of four batters in a 2012 game against the Nationals.
From there, Brummett spent the next two seasons playing minor league ball for the Blue Jays and Dodgers before Los Angeles released him in 2014, USA Today reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted it is investigating the crash.
