The Nation - News from May 31, 1988

Federal officials began an investigation in Phoenix to determine why a small plane crashed into a house, killing the pilot and three picnickers on the ground, including a 10-year-old girl. Four others on the ground were injured. The impact of the high-speed crash Sunday sent gasoline and oil boiling out of the ruptured tanks, and two-story-high flames engulfed the yard. Authorities said the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza crashed shortly after taking off from Phoenix’s main airport after dropping off two passengers. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined. As investigators probed the wreckage, two people were killed in another Arizona plane crash near Eloy, bringing to 16 the number of people killed in eight fatal Memorial Day Weekend air mishaps in the United States. Few details were available in the latest crash.