No sign of survivors in plane crashThe plane was carrying as many as six people, the sheriff says"We hope there are survivors but it does not look promising," he saysA resident says he saw a mushroom cloud of flames
(CNN) -- As many as six people, three of them children, are feared dead after their plane crashed into a rugged mountain east of Phoenix during a Thanksgiving trip Wednesday, officials said.
The aircraft, a Rockwell AC 69, crashed about 6:30 p.m. in the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, said Pinal County Sheriff's spokesman Elias Johnson.
It had flown from Safford to Mesa where it picked up the children for the Thanksgiving holiday, said Sheriff Paul Babeu.
Rescue crews searching for survivors in jagged terrain found the body of a child. There may have been as many as six people on board, including two other children, Babeu said.
"We hope there are survivors, but it does not look promising," he said.
The children ranged in age from 5 to 9, authorities said.
A man who said he witnessed the impact told CNN that a mushroom cloud of flames lit up the evening sky.
Kevin Cunningham, 44, of Apache Junction, said he was talking on the phone from his back porch and saw the crash a few miles away.
"The flames lit up the mountain," said Cunningham, adding the plane appeared to be flying level before the crash. "I didn't see where it was in distress."
The photogenic peak is popular with hikers and horseback riders, the resident said.
"Somebody didn't know the mountain was there or they had false readings," Cunningham speculated.
A ranger near the scene said he saw a tire from the plane that suggests it was not a commercial aircraft.
"This is some of the toughest country you can experience," Johnson said. "There were at least two debris fields. That plane is all over the place up there."
CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report.
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