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Plane Crash East of Phoenix AZ near Apache Junction in Superstition Mountains

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posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:18 PM
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Currently Search and Rescue moving into area. Extremely difficult terrain to get to the site of the crash. At this time there is no information as to the type or size of aircraft. It was a large explosion. There was only a brief comment from the Sheriff.

Fox News


Edit to add youtube video of the crash. Not verified. The flash is seen at 00:54 sec.





edit on 23/11/11 by spirit_horse because: edit title location



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:25 PM
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Originally posted by spirit_horse

Fox News



"officials told ABC News that passenger flights at major local airports all were accounted for"

hopefully, they are certain.

anyways, what happened to pilot (and his crew if any)?




posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:29 PM
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Yes, currently they don't know the size. Here is a picture of small fires burning in the crash zone.


"What we saw was a small plane," said Mark Klein, who lives at the base of the Superstition Mountains, according to ABC News Radio. "It only had the red and green lights on the wings on, and it just ran into the mountain. I looked, like fireworks and then a big explosion."

Source



edit on 23/11/11 by spirit_horse because: add info



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:31 PM
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From Reuters...just in.


Plane crashes in Arizona's Superstition Mountains

PHOENIX | Wed Nov 23, 2011 10:09pm EST

(Reuters) - A plane crashed on Wednesday in the Superstition Mountains just east of Phoenix, breaking apart on impact and igniting a wildfire, a sheriff's official said.

But the size of the plane and how many people were on board was not immediately clear, said Elias Johnson, a spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, adding that fire crews had been dispatched.

Live images on local 12 News showed a fire blazing in a darkened landscape, surrounded by smaller points of flame. It was not possible to make out the shape or form of an aircraft or any debris.

Representatives for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the suburban Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport said none of their planes were missing.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said he did not immediately have details on the crash. The Superstition Mountains are 45 miles east of Phoenix.

(Reporting by David Schwartz, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis, Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

www.reuters.com...



edit on 23-11-2011 by Destinyone because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:34 PM
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Here is a youtube video of the crash at 54 sec. you see a bright flash that is the plane crashing. Not verified as authentic video.





edit on 23/11/11 by spirit_horse because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:39 PM
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Oh boy that does not look good at all...

Hearts out to family involved..

It does not look like any survivors.....

I think the pilot (now only opinion) just didn't calculate the height
of the mountain and his ascension bam..



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:39 PM
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Pilot and his three children feared dead as plane crashes into Superstition Mountains in holiday tragedy By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 3:42 AM on 24th November 2011 A plane has crashed into Arizona's Superstition Mountains, breaking apart on impact, and bursting into flames in a tragic holiday accident. The pilot had been collecting his children and was returning home when the tiny two-engine plane crashed, CBS 5 reported. Two other adults were also on board, a spokesperson for Falcon Executive Aviation flight school in Mesa told the station.
Source

And...


Rescue crews are struggling to access the wreckage in rugged terrain to begin the search for possible survivors. Eyewitness Ronnie Brant told the local station the plane seemed to be having engine trouble. Pinal County Sheriff's Office spokesman Elias Johnson confirmed a plane went down in the mountain range, causing a fire seen from miles away. The plane burst into flames after colliding with the mountains, which are 45 miles east of Phoenix, just below their peak, witnesses reported. The Federal Aviation Administration said it had not yet received reports of a plane crash in the area. Rescue crews were trying to land helicopters in the mountainous area about 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix in order to search for survivors. Graham said 911 calls began coming in around 6.30 pm on Friday after an explosion near the Flat Iron area close to Lost Dutchman State Park.

edit on 23-11-2011 by Dav1d because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:47 PM
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Fox News has additional info now.
Source


A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said there were no immediate reports of any missing commercial aircraft. Officials at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport said the same thing.



"We don't know yet if it's a passenger plane or a crop duster," Pinal County sheriff's spokeswoman Angelique Graham said. "We can't tell the size of the aircraft involved from the air and we can't tell how many people may have been aboard."



Rescue crews were trying to land helicopters in the mountainous area about 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix in order to search for survivors.A law enforcement staging area was set up at the Lost Dutchman State Park.


Cropduster? I don't know why a crop duster would be flying at night. Besides, they are usually very familiar with the areas they fly. I would think a small passenger plane, private is involved.


edit on 23/11/11 by spirit_horse because: add info



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:55 PM
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Phoenix Airport is a difficult one. It sits in kind of a bowl. There are way too many crashes associated with small private jets and overloaded twin engine planes in that area. You have to gain altitude very quickly when taking off from there.

We don't yet know if this was a takeoff, landing, or level flight, but without any information, just knowing a private aircraft hit the mountain, I would guess it was on takeoff, and possibly either an overloaded plane or a autopilot setting miscalculated on a small jet or twin engine plane.

Sad for the families. Our prayers should be with the pilots, crew, and passengers.

On another note, please don't let it be another Oklahoma State Athletic person! They can't take any more plane crashes in that department.



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:56 PM
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Cessna 172 carries 50 gal fuel...Piper Dakota carries 80 gals...both 4 passenger, single engine private planes.

That's a pretty big fire..plane was carrying a full fuel load. Bless those poor people....



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 09:58 PM
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DAM! Bad news.


However, a spokesperson with Falcon Executive Aviation flight school in Mesa tells CBS 5-TV in Phoenix that the pilot flew in from Safford to Falcon Field to pick up his children and says when they were returning to Safford the two-engine plane crashed. The spokesperson tells CBS 5 there were three adults and three children onboard.


CBS



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:00 PM
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The area near Lost Dutchman State Park and the Superstition Wilderness is filled with steep canyons, soaring rocky outcroppings, cactus and heavy brush. Treasure hunters who frequent the area have been looking for the legendary Lost Dutchman mine for more than a century.


Witnesses said it sounded like they were trying to rev the engines to gain altitude. It was a twin engine plane. Probably either overloaded, or they set the autopilot to climb, and they set the rate too low, and when they realized it, it was too late.



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:02 PM
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I've looked twice at the video,I didn't see a beacon on the top of the mountain. As a private pilot myself, learned to fly in N. Ca., the greenies have worked towards having beacons removed from what they call sensitive land areas. If that was the case here...what a shame



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:04 PM
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reply to post by getreadyalready
 

Oh No...how terrible. Prayers for all the Families involved. How sad....



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:08 PM
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A caller identified as Lou Adams told ABC-15 that he was camping in the mountains when he heard a loud noise, then saw a “fireball and a couple of pieces disappear behind the mountain,” apparently referring to Flatiron, in the Superstition range. “I could definitely see it fell out of the sky," he said.


“I heard an engine noise, like something that didn’t sound right. … That’s what drew my attention,” he told the station.


LA Times

Sounds like it could have been engine trouble too. Apparently there was no call to the tower with an emergency, or they would be reporting that by now. It can happen so fast though, there's not always time for a call.



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:13 PM
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About 30 min ago there was a red light on top of the Superstition Mt. It did not look like brush fire, more like a flare or landing beacon. A few hours before that, I was returning from the south and had a direct view of the Superstition Mt's. It looked like there was a light hovering near the cliff face. It was just before dark. I could not see any navigation lights so I could not tell what direction it was moving. My opinion, it looked like a light house as it SLOWLY changed position if at all. Every once in a while it looked like the planes/helicopter headlights were pointed in my direction and then dim.
My guess now is that it was search and rescue.



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:15 PM
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Best article so far, and its out of the UK? Go figure.



A plane has crashed into Arizona's Superstition Mountains, breaking apart on impact, and bursting into a huge fireball in a tragic holiday accident.

The pilot had been collecting his children and was returning home when the tiny two-engine plane crashed, CBS 5 reported.

Two other adults were also on board, a spokesperson for Falcon Executive Aviation flight school in Mesa told the station.

The pilot had flown into Falcon Field airport to pick up his children and was en route back home to Safford airfield, about 100 miles east of Phoenix, when he ran into trouble, the spokesman told the station.


Daily Mail


edit on 23-11-2011 by getreadyalready because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:16 PM
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reply to post by getreadyalready
 


You have to realize that not all small airplanes have an autopilot.

And, not all airplanes are necessarily in contact with ATC. One may fly virtually anywhere in the USA, with no Flight Plan...whilst VFR.

A tragic accident, but sadly.....these are all far too common. Whether a single-engine, or twin-engine airplane, it is often a fault of the operator.

Since a fire ensued, it is even more likely a pilot-error event. It seems, at this point, to be a controlled flight into terrain event.

Time will tell.......



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:17 PM
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reply to post by staple
 


911 calls started at about 6:30 local time. If you saw the lights after that, then it was probably helicopters.



posted on Nov, 23 2011 @ 10:20 PM
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reply to post by ProudBird
 


I think you're exactly right. They're reporting it was a small twin. The flight was only about 100 miles, so probably VFR. 1 pilot, 2 other adults, and 3 kids, for a short flight, shouldn't have been overloaded in a twin engine, but you never know how people will pack. Since it wasn't a jet, I doubt it was the autopilot. I've read a few NTSB reports with private jets where it was an autopilot setting though.

Nope, sadly enough, it does sound like a controlled flight into terrain. Probably just didn't see the dark mountainside in front of him just after sunset, plus distractions from the family he just picked up.

I've only flown in or out of there as a commercial passenger, never as a private pilot, but even for commercial flights it is one of the more difficult airports. The Las Vegas to Phoenix commute is like a roller coaster. You have to get up and down very quickly.



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