Thursday, September 23, 2021

Piper PA-28-140, N532FL: Incident occurred September 22, 2021 in Benson, Cochise County, Arizona

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

Aircraft departed and attempted to return to the airport but made an emergency landing in desert brush.


Date: 22-SEP-21
Time: 16:55:00Z
Regis#: N532FL
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA28
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: INSTRUCTION
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: BENSON
State: ARIZONA

Swearingen SX-300, N5SX: Accident occurred September 18, 2021 in Buckeye, 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: Buckeye, Arizona
Accident Number: WPR21LA357
Date and Time: September 18, 2021, 08:24 Local 
Registration: N5SX
Aircraft: Fonville SWEARINGEN SX300 
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On September 18, 2021, about 0824 mountain daylight time, a Swearingen SX300 airplane, N5SX, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Buckeye, Arizona. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that while in an enroute climb, the engine accelerated from 2500 rpm to 3200 rpm and was “unresponsive to input” just before it lost power. The pilot initiated off airport forced landing and landed with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained damages to wings and fuselage.

The airplane was secured for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Fonville 
Registration: N5SX
Model/Series: SWEARINGEN SX300
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: Yes
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: 
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: 
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting: 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 33.19457,-112.81179 (est)

Aero L-39 Albatros, N20GX: Incident occurred September 22, 2021 at Witham Field Airport (KSUA), Stuart, Martin County, Florida

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; South Florida

Aircraft landed and overran the runway into the engineered materials arresting system (EMAS). 

Aero Flight Solutions LLC


Date: 22-SEP-21
Time: 20:30:00Z
Regis#: N20GX
Aircraft Make: AERO VODOCHODY
Aircraft Model: L-39
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: STUART
State: FLORIDA

Boeing Stearman PT-13D Kaydet, N5359N: Incident occurred September 22, 2021 at South St. Paul Municipal Airport (KSGS), Dakota County, Minnesota

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Aircraft after departure experienced engine issues and landed in a field.


Date: 22-SEP-21
Time: 19:30:00Z
Regis#: N5359N
Aircraft Make: BOEING
Aircraft Model: E75
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: NONE
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: SOUTH ST PAUL
State: MINNESOTA

Honda HA-420 HondaJet, N420AH: Incident occurred September 22, 2021 at Roswell Air Center Airport (KROW), Chaves County, New Mexico

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Lubbock, Texas

Aircraft landed and while taxiing hit a Eurocopter AS-350 AStar, N354CF.

Honda Aviation Service Co Inc


Date: 22-SEP-21
Time: 21:47:00Z
Regis#: N420AH
Aircraft Make: HONDA
Aircraft Model: HA-420
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: ROSWELL
State: NEW MEXICO

Van's RV-7, N64EB: Incident occurred September 22, 2021 at Wiley Post Airport (KPWA), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Aircraft lost engine power while departing and made a forced landing in the grass damaging landing gear. 


Date: 22-SEP-21
Time: 19:08:00Z
Regis#: N64EB
Aircraft Make: VANS
Aircraft Model: RV7
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: OKLAHOMA CITY
State: OKLAHOMA

Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow II, N3906X: Fatal accident occurred September 22, 2021 in Page, Coconino 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 traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Las Vegas, Nevada
Lycoming Engines; Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Piper Aircraft Company; Vero Beach, Florida 

Petersen Aircraft Inc


Location: Page, AZ
Accident Number: WPR21FA352
Date & Time: September 22, 2021, 16:24 Local
Registration: N3906X
Aircraft: Piper PA-28R-200 
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On September 22, 2021, about 1624 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N3906X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Page, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration captured the airplane’s climb out at 1211 Pacific daylight time about 1 nm north of its departure airport in San Martin, California. The mean sea level (msl) altitudes below are reported as geometric altitudes and were obtained from the ADS-B data. The airplane slowly turned to the southeast as it continued to climb. At 1302, the airplane reached a cruise altitude of about 12,000 ft msl and subsequently turned to the south about 15 minutes later, at which time it arced around the southern base of the Sequoia National Forest. At 1528, the airplane descended to about 7,700 ft msl while passing to the north of Las Vegas, Nevada. The airplane then descended further about 1615 and 30 nm west of Page Municipal Airport (PGA), Page, Arizona near the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to about 7,250 ft msl (1,100 ft above ground level (agl). At 1623, the airplane descended to about 6,600 ft msl where it remained until about 1623:46 when it began its final descent from 500 ft agl. The final ADS-B data point was captured at 1624:15, when the airplane was 200 ft agl and about 0.5 nm northwest of the accident site.

The airplane was located about 11 nm west of PGA on a mesa at a field elevation of about 6,150 ft msl. The airplane came to rest at a level attitude on a heading of 227° magnetic. The first point of impact (FPI) was identified by a 12-foot-tall Juniper tree and several broken tree branches. A debris path was marked by parallel ground scars that began about 20 ft forward of the FPI and was oriented on a heading of 155° magnetic. The outboard right stabilator was located on the left side of the debris path.

The main wreckage marked the end of the debris path and was located 62 ft beyond the FPI. The nose and main landing gear had collapsed and the fuselage was flush with the ground. Both wings remained attached to the fuselage; the left wing displayed a large compression wrinkle about midspan at the leading edge and the top skin. The inboard section of the right wing exhibited compression wrinkles about midspan. Both wings were punctured inboard above the right and left main landing gear. The ailerons and flaps were connected to their respective wings and were mostly undamaged, with exception of the right and left flaps, both of which exhibited upward bends at the inboard trailing edges. The left side of the stabilator had advanced forward several inches in a divergent path to the right stabilator, which had moved aft. Additionally, the right stabilator leading edge was crushed aft along the outboard leading edge about midspan. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were not damaged. The cowling and engine were displaced slightly downward, and the engine had separated from some of the upper mounts. Three propeller blades remained attached to the engine at the propeller hub. One blade was bent aft about midspan, one blade was bent at the blade root beneath the engine and the last blade was straight. Two of the propeller blades did not contain any visible chordwise scratches, nicks, or gouges. The third propeller blade was observed beneath the engine and could not be inspected. All major structures were accounted for at the accident site.



Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper 
Registration: N3906X
Model/Series: PA-28R-200
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KPGA,4310 ft msl 
Observation Time: 16:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 30°C /-4°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 6 knots / , 20°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.13 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: San Martin, CA (E16)
Destination: Page, AZ (PGA)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 36.905783,-111.68978

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.

Jim and Ute Petersen
~

Hudson
~


Hudson
~


SALT LAKE CITY — An incredible story of survival and heartache after a plane goes down in the desert, just outside of Page, Arizona.

The passenger, who managed to survive, was trapped for four hours, waiting for rescuers — all while sitting next to her husband, the pilot, who did not make it out alive.

“I was holding him for a long time. I pretended that he’s just unconscious, and I’m too stupid to feel a pulse,” Ute Petersen, 58, told KSL-TV from her home in Morgan Hill, California. “Deep down, I knew he was gone.”

On September 22, Ute and her husband, Jim Petersen, 57, left the Bay Area and were on their way to the Page Municipal Airport to meet up with some friends for a weeklong trip to Lake Powell.

About 10 minutes to the airport, their plane suddenly dropped from the sky.

Ute Petersen said there was no warning whatsoever.

“It was very, very quick. All of a sudden, Jim, I could tell he was getting upset,” she said. “He started to maneuver the airplane, hit a bunch of buttons on the dashboard, and then the next thing I know, we’re on the ground.”

After crash landing, Petersen became pinned in the co-pilot’s seat where she was sitting.

“I feel like I got run over by a freight train,” said Petersen, who’s still recovering from the crash. “I have a lot of injuries — I broke my nose, I have a really big seatbelt burn on my shoulder, I broke my sternum, I broke a couple of ribs, I broke my collarbone. I’m pretty much black and blue all over my body.”

While sitting there in the plane, Petersen didn’t know what to do. She said there was no way out and no way to call for help because there was no cell service.

Then, suddenly, her phone rang, and it was her friend who was picking her up from the airport, checking in on her.

She credits that call to divine intervention that saved her life.

“There is absolutely no reason that call should have gone through,” said Petersen.

Inside the plane was the couple’s two dogs — Hudson, the golden retriever, and little Kota.

Both dogs survived, but when rescuers arrived four hours later, Hudson bolted out the airplane door.

He was lost for three days in the desert, only to be miraculously found alive.

After three days, Hudson was miraculously found alive.

“I already have to wrap myself around losing my husband, and having the dogs back gives me strength and gives me a reason to pull through,” she said.

Ute and Jim had just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last month and were dreaming of retirement.

“I really loved him very much,” she said. “He was my best friend. He was my best friend, my partner, my lover, my husband.”




On Wednesday, September 22, 2021, the AZDPS Western Air Rescue crew responded to assist the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office with a small plane crash involving one fatality and one injured survivor in Paria Plateau near Page, Arizona.

As they arrived at the crash scene that night, our pilot and trooper-paramedics spotted a dog sitting near the plane wreckage. Unfortunately, the dog ran away as our helicopter landed at the scene and could not be located.

When our Central Air Rescue crew flew federal investigators back to the crash scene on Saturday, September 25, they spotted the missing dog lying next to the plane wreckage. The pup fled the area again when the helicopter landed, but crew members used water to lure him back and get a leash on him. He was tired, thirsty, and hungry, but this tough guy seemed to be in decent shape for having survived a plane crash and a few days in the Arizona wilderness.

Our air rescue crew flew the dog to the Page Airport, where he was met by a Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputy who would return him to his family.

AZDPS is grateful we could assist CCSO and help reunite this pup with the family at such a difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.



PAGE, Arizona - More information is coming out about how a woman was saved from a plane crash after dusk in northern Arizona in September.

A husband and wife were headed to Page and all of the beauty around it like Lake Powell when something happened.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the small plane crashed.

"The pilot was killed but the wife was able to send a text to a friend or family member saying they crashed."

Civil Air Patrol Vice Commander Lt. Colonel John Henderson is with the National Radar Analysis Team.

They're a group of volunteers who, at a moment's notice, can analyze data and create charts to pinpoint crash sites.

"Any time you have a crash and there are survivors, time is of the essence because they can quickly go downhill if too much time goes by. That's why we always try to get a resolution before it goes dark, for instance."

But it was already dark, meaning visually finding the crash site would be hard. And the clock was ticking. 

Compiling the data, they were able to narrow it down to the Paria Plateau, just to the west of Page. It took the volunteer team of three just seven minutes.

"We tracked the aircraft down to 125 feet above the terrain so we knew right where it was and the rescue helicopter, even though it was after dark, was able to fly directly to the crash site."

A medical helicopter lifted the woman, identified as Uta Petersen, to a hospital and safety. Unfortunately, her husband and pilot, Jim Petersen, died.

Three days later, teams were back at the site investigating when they were able to lure a dog back to safety and reunite it with its family.

Henderson says without his team, and the wife's text for help, it could have taken hours instead of minutes.

The National Radar Analysis Team is relatively new - they just started in 2009. Already, they've been involved in 800 missions and are credited with saving 62 lives.




PAGE, Arizona — It was an improbable homecoming for a dog that survived a deadly plane crash in northern Arizona. The plane went down on September 22 in the Paria Plateau area, which is nearly 30 miles southwest of Page. The pilot, Jim Petersen, was killed and his passenger, Uta Petersen, was hurt. When first responders arrived at the crash scene, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said the paramedics spotted a dog sitting near the plane wreckage. But the pup ran off as soon as the pilot landed the helicopter and couldn't be found.

A few days later, when investigators went back to the scene, the same dog was lying next to the plane wreckage. The dog ran off again when the helicopter landed, but crew members used water to lure him back and get a leash on him, DPS said. The tired pup was hungry and thirsty. "This tough guy seemed to be in decent shape for having survived a plane crash and a few days in the Arizona wilderness," DPS said.

The crew flew the dog to the Page Airport. A Coconino County Sheriff's deputy took the dog and reunited him with his family. DPS said it's grateful it could help return this dog to the family during such a difficult time.