A small plane carrying French tourists crashed while landing in windy conditions at an airport in northern Arizona, killing one person and leaving another hospitalised, authorities said. The single-engine plane with a pilot and the six tourists yesterday hit the ground and toppled over near the airport runway in Page, the centre of a tourist area about 322 kilometres north of Phoenix, Page Police Capt Ray Varner said.
"The plane hit the sand and flipped over upside down," Varner told The Associated Press.Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the Cessna 207 crashed 120 to 150 metres short of the tarmac.
Varner said one passenger died after being rushed to a hospital, while another was hospitalised in apparent stable condition.
He said four others received hospital treatment for minor injuries and were released, while the seventh person was unhurt. The pilot was among the injured.
The aircraft was on a sightseeing tour when the accident occurred, Varner said.Both the captain and the FAA website said the aircraft's registered owner is American Aviation Inc of Salt Lake City.
A person answering the phone there late yesterday said they didn't have any information.Varner said that the hometowns of the passengers was still being determined but at least one of them was from the French city of Le Havre.
Both Gregor and Varner said the cause of the crash was being investigated.