A former professional baseball pitcher and three others were tragically killed on Friday when the small plane he was piloting crashed in Utah mountains south of Salt Lake City.
Tyson Brummett, a 35-year-old who appeared in one game for the Philadelphia Phillies, lost his life alongside his 35-year-old friend Alex Ruenger, Ruegner’s 60-year-old aunt, Elaine Blackhurst, and 62-year-old uncle, Douglas Blackhurst.
USA Today reported the plane crashed in the American Fork Canyon at an elevation of 8,500 feet and all four victims appeared to be killed on impact, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s office.
A witness who happened to be in the area hiking stated he saw the plane begin to turn before spiraling downward. The cause of the crash had yet to be determined and will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
The fifth-round draft pick of the Phillies in 2007 pitched professionally for eight seasons. After his short Phillies stint, Brummett would spend the next two seasons within the minor league systems of the Blue Jays and Dodgers before Los Angeles released him in 2014.
