By the Associated Press and The Daily Universe
Deputy Steve Eatchel of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and his wife Lindsay Eatchel were killed when their single-engine plane crashed outside Cedar City on April 23.
Steve Eatchel worked for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years, and was assigned to the Judicial Services Bureau at the time of his death. He and his wife were the parents of four children.
The couple was on their way to Zion National Park for a sightseeing tour with Deputy Eatchel’s brother, Thomas Eatchel of Heber City and his girlfriend, Danielle Deagostini of Sandy when the accident took place. Deputy Eatchel, who was flying the plane, and the three passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.
“His kind manner and ever present smile will be missed,” wrote the Utah County Sheriff’s office on a Facebook post.
Friends and family of the victims have also posted tributes on social media, and have set up a GoFundMe to pay for memorial expenses. In a Facebook post, the Eatchels’ sister Angela Dangerfield said the couple will be “sorely missed”.
“You will forever be in my heart,” Dangerfield wrote. “This world feels so empty without you in it!”
The Iron County Sheriff’s Office was responding to reports of a fire around the area at 7 p.m. when they discovered the wreckage. The Iron County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
