NTSB reports plane was flying in formation to Payson before crashing in Superstition Mountains
MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - More information is being released on a plane crash that left two dead at the Superstition Mountains over the weekend.
The NTSB reports the single-engine plane took off with two other planes. While flying in formation, something happened, which resulted in the plane crashing into the mountains. The three aircraft originally planned to land in Payson. The crash engulfed the plane in a fire. The two onboard didn’t survive.
Valley flight instructor Robert Peay Jr. said following plane crashes, the NTSB sends out aviation experts to analyze the wreckage and crash site to try and determine what went wrong. “They re-engineering the crash and then they can go back and forth and figure out the cause, but it’s a long process,” said Peay. The initial report can take a couple of weeks, while the final report can take years.
While he couldn’t speak on this weekend’s crash, In Peay’s more than 30 years of teaching, he said things could take a turn when a pilot loses focus. “It’s not one mistake that will kill you. It’s a series of little mistakes that happen within a moment of time.”
In his classes, he said he stresses the importance of a pilot being spatially aware of their surroundings before, during and after take off. “I tell my students this, flying can be fun and there’s a lot of neat things up there but the time to enjoy flying is when you land put the plan away… Get home sit on your couch then you can enjoy flying. But, until then you got to keep your mind in the game.”
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Source: Arizona's Family
