He estimated the student pilot had about 90 flight hours of experience and had appropriate endorsements for the route and the airplane. Unknown weather conditions were encountered.Įarlier, the student pilot/owner’s flight instructor met to discuss the flight. The student pilot/owner and the passenger were fatally injured. Piper PA-28RT-201T Turbo Arrow IVĪt 2052 Central time, the airplane was destroyed when its pilot apparently lost control in poor weather. The engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, passed a magneto check and ran until it was stopped using cockpit controls.Īpril 20, 2021, Brownsville, Tenn.

The earth beneath the blighted vegetation was turned with a shovel and a strong odor of aviation gasoline was detected.įollowing recovery, the damaged propeller was removed and replaced, and a can of aviation gasoline was plumbed into the airplane’s fuel system. Several days later, the divert airport’s manager was escorted to the accident site by a local police lieutenant, where she found and photographed blighted vegetation in the area beneath the right fuel tank cap where the airplane had rested inverted. The recovery supervisor found that the airplane contained no fuel and that there was no odor nor evidence of fuel spillage at the scene. When recovered from the site, the airplane’s wings were removed. Unable to reach any of the nearest airports, he selected a field for landing and touched down, but the airplane struck a fence, nosed over and came to rest inverted.Īn FAA inspector later stated there was no evidence of fuel, no evidence of fuel spillage and no odor of fuel at the scene when he arrived. Shortly after turning toward the divert field, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power.

While en route, the pilot chose to divert to a nearby airport for a restroom break. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1515 Central time when it was forced-landed in a field following total loss of engine power. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down, vertical attitude.Īpril 20, 2021, Eufaula, Ala. The accident site was located directly east, about ¾ mile from the last recorded data point. There were no other data points recorded. Retrieved ADS-B data show the airplane climbed to the east, leveled at 2750 feet msl and then descended to 2675 feet. Six minutes after takeoff, radio and surveillance communications were lost. The flight’s purpose was to do a functional test of a newly upgraded autopilot system.

All rights reserved.At about 1346 Central time, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a test flight. The intersection was closed for several hours during the investigation but reopened Thursday morning.Ĭopyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. Skyline High School principal Greg Mendez I know you join me in sending our condolences to the students’ families and friends during this difficult time. Tragedies such as this are difficult on our community. For immediate crisis support, information can be found on our parent resources webpage.Īny details we may receive regarding services or opportunities to help the families will be available in the front office. On Monday, our school counselors, social worker and district crisis team will be available to lend support if you feel your child would benefit from spending additional time with someone. Our thoughts are with their families and with the family of the student who survived the crash with minor injuries. It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of three Skyline students in a tragic car accident that occurred last night. Thunderstorms with heavy rain rolled through the Valley Wednesday night. “It appears that both speed and the weather were the primary causes of the accident,” Encinas said in a news release. Encinas says the department will not release the girls’ names out of respect for their families. It’s unclear if the three teens who died were wearing their seat belts. The 14-year-old survived with minor injuries and remains in the hospital.

The two girls in the backseat were rushed to the hospital, where one later died. The driver and front-seat passenger died at the scene. Investigators confirmed that four high school girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were trapped inside the car. “The Mustang hit the curb, went over the curb into the landscape, then hit a boulder, causing it to roll over and plow into a light pole before coming to a stop,” Mesa police spokesperson Detective Richard Encinas said. Police say a 16-year-old driver of a blue Ford Mustang lost control while changing lanes. The accident happened on Guadalupe Road between Ellsworth and Signal Butte roads around 9 p.m. MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Three teen girls are dead, and another remains in the hospital after a rollover crash in Mesa Wednesday night.

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