Utah State student pilot killed in crash

LOGAN , Utah, July 19 (UPI) -- A Utah State University student pilot died when his plane crashed during solo training.

Frank Marino De Leon Compres, 21, a senior in Utah State's aviation technology and professional pilot programs, was flying a single-engine, DA-40 Diamond aircraft when it crashed Monday afternoon. Authorities said the plane was found on farmland between the towns of Hyrum and Paradise, Utah. Emergency responders found the pilot dead in the crash.

"The aircraft was located and the single occupant, an individual in the pilot training program at Utah State University, was found deceased. The FAA has been notified," a statement from the Cache County Sheriff's Office said.

De Leon Compres was flying to accrue solo flight hours required to obtain a commercial pilot's license. Flying conditions at the time were considered satisfactory when the plane took off from Logan-Cache Airport, said university spokeswoman Maren Aller.

About 180 students are enrolled in the school's professional pilot program, and De Leon Compres' death is the first since the program began in 1939, Aller added.

The pilot was a native of the Dominican Republic, and in a statement, aviation professor Andreas Wesemman called De Leon Compres "one of our sharpest."

"He was well motivated and well liked in the program."