Glendora residents Randy and Vicki Whittle, along with their 2 children, MacLean and Brittany, died on Sunday in a plane crash near Burley Airport in Burley, Idaho. Maclean and Brittany went to school in Claremont.

According to the Salt Lake City Tribune and the Associated Press, the crash took place around 2 p.m. when the family was taking off in a small plane to visit Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The plane then went down and created a blaze when it hit the ground. As of Monday, the cause of the crash has not been determined.

Randy Whittle’s parents witnessed the crash and were hospitalized for emotional trauma after rushing to the site to find only wreckage and smoke, brother Dave Whittle said. 

MacLean was set to be a senior this fall at Claremont High School. He had attended Glendora High School for 2 years before transferring to CHS last year. This year would have been his first full year as a member of the CHS Chamber Singers.

Brittany had finished 8th grade at El Roble Intermediate School and was slated to be a freshman at CHS later this month. Like her brother, she was going to be involved in the CHS Choir department this year. 

“They were both great kids, excellent musicians and I think this is a real loss to the whole school community,” said CHS Choir Director Joel Wilson. “Both will be greatly missed.”

Check for news updates as the story continues.

—Landus Rigsby