ANN REALTIME UPDATE 10.26.06 1615 EDT: Authorities at the scene confirm they have recovered four bodies in the wreckage of a Cirrus SR22 that went down Wednesday afternoon in western Arizona, shortly after the plane's pilot told ATC the plane had encountered ice.

"The pilot was trying to detour around some bad weather but apparently got caught up in it," FAA spokeman Ian Gregor said.

Contrary to earlier reports stating three people were lost in the accident, Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan told the Associated Press search and rescue crews who reached the wreckage Thursday morning found four bodies -- one man, one woman and two children.

There remains some question in the general media regarding deployment of the plane's ballistic recovery parachute, with some sources reporting the parachute is visible in the wreckage.

Photos from the scene appear to show a canopy within the wreckage, but it does not appear the parachute was extended fully... possibly indicating the 'chute was deployed as a result of accident forces, and not pilot action.

Original Report

In what appears to be one of the first icing accidents of the season, three persons were lost when their Cirrus SR22 (file photo of type, below) went down approximately 80 miles east of Las Vegas, NV Wednesday afternoon.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane was flying at 13,000 feet when the pilot told ATC the plane was picking up heavy ice. The Cirrus went down at approximately 12:11 pm.

Search crews from Mojave County, AZ located the wreckage less than two hours later. Industry sources tell ANN the aircraft's ballistic parachute was not deployed.

The identities of the three persons onboard have not been released.

Authorities believe the plane, owned by a New Orleans-based company, left San Francisco bound for either the Grand Canyon or Phoenix.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 121LD        Make/Model: SR22      Description: SR-22
  Date: 10/25/2006     Time: 1911

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: BOULDER CITY   State: NV   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY WITH REPORTED ICING CONDITIONS,
  THE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, 53 MILES FROM BOULDER
  CITY, NV

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   3
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan: IFR          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: LAS VEGAS, NV  (WP19)                 Entry date: 10/26/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov