March 19,, 2004
Tuesday plane crash kills five en route to Tonopah Test Range
PVT
A twin-engine Air Force transport plane traveling to the Tonopah Test Range from a remote airstrip crashed Tuesday morning, killing five, according to reports.
Nellis base officials said in a statement that the Air Force Beechcraft KA 1900 crashed at approximately 5 a.m. during an airlift mission in support of the Air Force's flight test program.
The plane, owned by the Air Force Material Command, was being used to transport workers for JT3, LLC, a Las Vegas company, to the Tonopah Test Range.
The names of the civilian pilot and four contract workers that were aboard the plane won't be released to the public until their families are notified.
Investigators set out to the crash site are looking into the cause of the crash, which on Tuesday was still undetermined.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the crash was the worst fatal accident since two rescue helicopters crashed Sept. 4, 1998, killing all 12 passengers.
