Planes Collide Midair Killing All 4 Passengers
Four people were killed Friday morning after two single-engine planes collided above north Phoenix, authorities say. A pilot reported seeing two small aircraft collide in midair about 15 miles northwest of Deer Valley Airport, according to Ian McGregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The agency said it received reports of one of the downed planes at 10 a.m. Friday at mile post 7 on New River Road, north of the Carefree Highway and east of Lake Pleasant. Fire crews went to the area west of Lake Pleasant and found the two planes. One plane, a Cessna, caught fire after impact and was destroyed, according to Capt. Dave Wilson of the Daisy Mountain Fire Department. The other aircraft, a Piper Archer, was mostly intact found about 100 yards from the first plane with two male occupants.
“I thought possibly we might have survivors,” said battalion Chief Gary Bernard of the Peoria Fire Department. According to Capt. Darren Salotti of the Daisy Mountain Fire Department, the mostly intact aircraft looked like it tried to land. Both occupants of that plane were confirmed dead.
Phoenix Police Department is investigating the cause of the crash, along with investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
“This is a tragic event,” Sgt. Steve Martos said.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
The Cessna is registered to Westwind Aircraft Leasing LLC, which has an office at Deer Valley Airport. The Piper was registered to Bird Acquisition LLC, which also has an office at Deer Valley Airport. The address is the same as TransPac Aviation Academy.
Deer Valley Airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country and has more than 1,200 planes based there. It has a fueling station, avionics repair, aircraft rentals, new and used aircraft sales, a pilot shop, a restaurant, charter flights and two flight-training schools, Westwind School of Aeronautics and TransPac Aviation Academy.
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