PRESS RELEASE
October 17th, 2023
Williams, AZ – Tragedy Strikes as Plane Crash Claims Three Lives
Williams Police Department Responds to Fatal Aircraft Accident
Williams, AZ – On October 17th, 2023, the Williams Police Department received multiple calls at approximately 12:20 pm reporting a plane crash located south of H.A. Clark Memorial Airport, in the City of Williams, Arizona.
Williams Police Department officers and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, where they discovered a Piper Fixed Wing single-engine plane that had crashed. The incident claimed the lives of three individuals, with two of them found inside the plane and the third victim located outside the aircraft.
Witnesses said that the airplane had fueled up at H. A. Clark Memorial and took off, several moments later, they heard the plane operating at what they described as low or no power, turned to a northerly direction back towards the airport where the plane came down in a field nearby.
In response to this event, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were immediately notified of the fatal aircraft crash. An ongoing investigation into the identification and cause of death is being conducted by the Williams Police Department in collaboration with the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The cause of this crash is currently under investigation, and multiple agencies, including the NTSB, FAA, Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Williams Police Department, are working to ascertain the facts surrounding this incident. The victim’s identity is being withheld until notifications to next of kin have been conducted.
At this time, no further information regarding the crash is available to the public.
For any additional information, inquiries, or media requests, please reach out to Lieutenant John Romero, the Public Information Officer for the Williams Police Department, at 928-635-4461 or via email at jromero@williamsaz.gov.