By Fred Gibbs
The start of October simply means that three-quarters of 2022 has passed, and we are not doing so great regarding fatal accidents, currently standing at 7 in-state fatal accidents and one out-of-state Arizona-based pilot fatality. A summary of the accidents to date is included here with the addition of the Seligman crash. The current numbers are trending to exceed the average rate over the past several years I have been tracking fatal accidents.
The first accident was a Van’s RV-7A that crashed under unknown circumstances near the Triangle Airpark (AZ50), White Hills, Mohave County, Arizona. The second accident was the Robison R22 helicopter that crashed short of the runway at Gila Bend Municipal Airport. The third crash was an experimental plane, a Covie Quickie, near Gila Bend Municipal Airport. The fourth accident, in Buckeye, was Bonanza that crashed in the desert northwest of the airport. The fifth accident was a Cessna C-172, substantially damaged in an accident near Show Low, Arizona, and the sixth was the C207 that crashed in Lake Powell with a load of passengers. The latest accident, the seventh fatal accident to date, occurred in mid-September, out north of Seligman. A Piper PA-46 dropped off the radar and was later found by a search and rescue helicopter. The two occupants were killed in the crash, with the circumstances unknown at this time. The report also includes the fatal accident in California involving a Mooney Rocket flown by an Arizona-based pilot. The airplane crashed in a field shortly after takeoff when the plane struck a building after taking off from the Camarillo Airport on his return trip back home to the Phoenix area.
FOR INFORMATION ON ALL ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED LAST MONTH, REFER TO JIM TIMM’S ACCIDENT SUMMARY HEREIN.