Police on Sunday morning released the names of those involved in a Saturday afternoon plane crash in a West Jordan neighborhood that killed three and injured four others.
The pilot, 43-year-old Lee Wyckoff, and his 9-month-old daughter, Coral Wyckoff, were killed. Wife and mother Rebecca Wyckoff, 36, was in critical condition.
Milda Shibonis, 36, also died in the crash. Her daughter Veda Sheperd, 12, was treated Saturday night and released from the hospital. Cody Mitchell, 2, was in critical condition with burns on his legs and arms.
The crash damaged three houses, critically injuring a seventh victim, 72-year-old Mary Quintana.
The Piper PA-32 plane — a small, single-engine aircraft — crashed about 1:40 p.m. Saturday in a neighborhood near 8800 South and 4000 West.
It remained unclear Sunday morning why the plane went down, but on Saturday evening, West Jordan police spokesperson Jennifer Worthen said the crash happened shortly after taking off from nearby South Valley Regional Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration began its investigation Saturday afternoon. The National Transportation Safety Board also will investigate the crash.
(Courtesy photo) Lee Wyckoff piloted a plane that crashed into a West Jordan neighborhood on Saturday, July 25, 2020. He died, as did two others. Three survived as of Sunday, July 26.
It appears the pilot, Lee Wyckoff, once worked as Utah’s inspector general, tasked with rooting out fraud, abuse and waste in Utah’s Medicaid program. Upon taking the position, Wyckoff set out to reorganize an assigned team of 19 investigators and support staff. He fired one employee, but hired several others with “heavy” talent in computer systems.
In May 2012, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Wyckoff and his team had recouped $5.6 million in overpaid Medicaid claims and avoided $4 million in spending by cracking down on the off-label use of psychotropics and other questionable prescribing practices, according to information obtained from the governor’s office. It was his first year on the job.
