Brothers, 16 and 19, perish when their small plane crashes in Arizona mountains just hours after sending final Snapchat showing them posing in front of the aircraft



Daulton Whatcott, 19, was the pilot of a single-engine Cessna that crashed on Sunday, killing him and his brother, 16-year-old Jaxon

Investigations are underway to determine what caused the crash but friends say that Daulton was an experienced pilot

The boys were flying from their home in Utah to Las Vegas for a basketball tournament and had been forced to stop once because of bad weather



Two Utah brothers have died after their small plane crashed in the Arizona mountains just hours after they sent a final Snapchat showing them posing in front of the aircraft.



Pilot Daulton Whatcott, 19, and his 16-year-old brother Jaxon took off in the single-engine Cessna 172 from Davis County on Sunday evening to head to Las Vegas for a basketball tournament.

Around 7.30pm, as their parents waited for them to land, the teens' plane went down in a rocky area in Littlefield, Arizona. Crews had to hike to the burning wreckage to recover their bodies.



Hours earlier, Jaxon had sent their father a Snapchat photo of them posing in front of the plane in Utah with the caption: 'My ride to Vegas.' Their dad, Rhett, shared the image to his Facebook page.



Before tragedy: Daulton Whatcott, 19, (back) and his brother Jaxon, 16, sent this Snapchat before heading from Utah to Arizona on Sunday. Their plane crashed into mountains around 7.30pm, killing them both

He described his sons as 'inseparable' and said he comforted himself with the thought that the teenagers were still together, the Deseret News reported.

It is not yet known what caused the plane crash but friend Jaden Carlson told the newspaper that Daulton was an experienced pilot. The Utah State University student had re ceived his pilot's license earlier this year and was hoping to become a commercial pilot.

'He took a lot of people out on flights,' Carlson said. 'I nstead of Sunday drives, he would go flying on Sunday. He'd skip classes and go flying. He loved it.

'There's no way he could have just been distracted. He knew what he was doing and he was cautious, and he knew he had to be cautious to keep the people he loved safe.'

An investigation is underway to determine the cause but the report could take months to complete.



Crash: The wreckage of their single-engine Cessna can be seen smoldering after crashing in rugged terrain just south of Interstate 15 near the Arizona-Utah border in Mohave County on Sunday

Hobby: Daulton, pictured flying with his father Rhett, became a licensed pilot earlier this year

The plane was heading to Mesquite, where the brothers were going to meet their parents, who were driving. But on the way, the brothers were forced to land in Beaver because of the bad weather.

They called their parents to let them know and eventually took off again - but when they failed to arrive in Mesquite, their parents began to worry.



The plane wreckage eventually came to rest on a ledge and recovery crews had to hike to the area. They put out a small fire and recovered the bodies of the victims.



An FAA spokesperson said the plane crashed and burned under 'unknown circumstances'.

A vigil was held for the students, who had both attended Syracuse High School, on Monday.



Close: Family members said Daulton, left, and Jaxon, right, were 'inseparable' and both loved sports



Missed: Daulton, pictured, and Jaxon leave behind two siblings and their parents, Rhett and Eileen, pictured

'Daulton and Jaxon were like one person and the same,' their basketball coach Trent Whiting said at the vigil, noting the diversity of students that had come to pay their respects.



'They were the most positive, energetic players. It didn't matter the practice, it didn't matter the game. They were always positive and always kept everyone's spirits up.'



Daulton graduated high school in 2013 and was attending Utah State University. His younger brother was about to start his junior year at high school.