Thursday, December 12, 2019

Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II, N2822F: Accident occurred December 11, 2019 near Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT), Maricopa County, Arizona

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

Location: Phoenix, AZ
Accident Number: WPR20LA038
Date & Time: 12/11/2019, 0822 MST
Registration: N2822F
Aircraft: Piper PA-34-200T
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal

On December 11, 2019, about 0822 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-34-200T airplane, N2822F, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to Flying Ponderosa LLC and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight which originated from Sedona Airport (SEZ), Sedona, Arizona, about 0745 with an intended destination of DVT.

The pilot reported that the morning of the accident, he had flown from Payson, Arizona, to SEZ to pick up a passenger, prior to flying to DVT. Following an uneventful flight, the DVT tower controller vectored him for landing on runway 7R. The pilot stated that while on final approach to runway 7R, he went to apply power and realized that both engines had lost power. Despite the pilot's troubleshooting, he was unable to restore engine power and initiated a forced landing to a nearby road. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck unoccupied vehicles prior to coming to rest upright on a road about 1 mile west of DVT.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the right wing was separated from the fuselage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination. 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N2822F
Model/Series: PA-34-200T
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KDVT, 1455 ft msl
Observation Time: 1553 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C / 6°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 110°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.24 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Sedona, AZ (SEZ)
Destination: Phoenix, AZ (DVT)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion:None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 33.683611, -112.110278 (est)
























PHOENIX — A small plane made an emergency landing on a street near Deer Valley Airport in north Phoenix.

The plane landed near 23rd Avenue and Luis Drive. 

Surveillance video from Copper State Metals shows the plane going down, crash-landing on the street.

The plane is owned by Flying Ponderosa LLC out of Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The Phoenix Fire Department said the pilot and passenger of the plane initially refused medical treatment but one was transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation.

Both Phoenix Fire Department and Phoenix Police Department had nothing but praise for the pilot of the Piper Seneca.

“Very lucky,” said Phoenix Fire Department Captain Nicole Minnick. “Very lucky to be walking away from this.”

“I mean, just looking at the scene itself,” said Phoenix Police Sgt. Mercedes Fortune. “I can tell you it’s an incredible landing.”

The plane made a quick "Mayday" call shortly after 8:00 a.m. to the control tower at Deer Valley Airport.  

A few moments later, the tower radioed back to the plane to no answer.

“706 Whiskey Whiskey, did you see an aircraft near the freeway on short final?” an air traffic controller asked an incoming plane. 

“We did see an aircraft go down,”  the pilot responded.

The plane crashed into the used car lot at Value Price Autos. The owners were texted a photo of the damage to their business shortly before arriving to work.

12 News learned on the scene that at least six cars were struck during the landing. 

“The right wing of the plane hit a car and tipped it on its side,” said Jennifer Wood, one of Value Price Autos' owners.  

“There’s damage to 10 different cars and pieces of the plane all over the lot.”

Police have confirmed that the pilot, a 48-year-old man, was a flight instructor. He was flying with a 42-year-old passenger.  

The passenger at first refused medical attention, but later decided to get checked out at a nearby hospital. Phoenix Police believe his injuries to be minor.

Business owners in the area tell 12 News that the air traffic is always on their mind.

“It is something I think about everyday,” Wood says. “I can hear the planes constantly coming in and out of the airport.”

National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the crash.

Story and video ➤ https://www.12news.com