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North Bay Man Dies in Plane Crash

Friday, Jun 26, 2009 | Updated 11:33 AM PST

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As our economy went down the drain, some local companies thrived to prove they were recession proof.

A private plane that crashed in Arizona this week, killing four people, carried more than 12 pounds of marijuana and more than $8,000 in cash.

Cmdr. Bob Sutton of the Navajo County Sheriff's Office said the drugs and money were in the rear of the wreckage, stashed separately in a suitcase and a purse. The plane was headed to the Austin, Texas, area.

Wednesday's fiery crash outside at the Holbrook airport killed the pilot and owner of the Beechcraft Bonanza, 45-year-old David Tuntland of Cedar Park, Texas, as well as three passengers.

Sutton identified other victims as 42-year-old Catherine Perando-Gordon of Cedar Park and 21-year-old Kyle Peters of Santa Rosa, Calif. Authorities are withholding the name of the fourth victim, whose parents haven't been notified.

The twin-engine plane was returning from California when it stopped in Holbrook to refuel. Sutton said the pilot had said he felt sick to his stomach and had lain down for about an hour while the plane refueled.

After the plane took off, it took a sharp left turn and came straight down and burst into flames, Sutton said. The tail section did not burn.

Authorities said the plane had landed at the Holbrook airport on Tuesday on its way to California.

Tom Vinger, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said he wouldn't confirm or deny any type of investigation.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board examined the wreckage Thursday and said it would be taken to a salvage yard in Phoenix.

A message left with the NTSB on Friday morning was not immediately returned