by Jim Timm
The following are the reports of aviation accidents and incidents that have occurred in Arizona from mid-April through May. We hope to use the following detailed accident information to develop safety programs and briefings to help pilots learn from the mistakes being made by others and take the necessary action to prevent them from having similar occurrences.
In this reporting period aviation safety was not good because the number of accidents were up. The most important part of this report is that no one lost their life.
In continuing with the expanded scope of the report, we’re using information from the Aviation Safety Network (ASN), FAA, NTSB, and APA Members. This more inclusive information source suits our purpose of trying to get an idea of what is happening out there so we can help make flying safer.
In the meantime, here are the results from the above sources.
Date: April 18, 2023
Source: FAA
Location: Glendale Airport (GEU)
Type: Remos GX
Injuries: 1 Uninjured
LOSS OF POWER DURING TAKEOFF
The pilot reported a loss of power after a departure from RWY1 at Glendale Airport (GEU) and landed on a residential street damaging the landing gear and the left wing. There was no damage reported to items on the ground, but the aircraft damage was reported to be substantial.
Date: April 22, 2023
Source: FAA NTSB
Location: Mesa Falcon Field (FFZ)
Type: Piper PA28-181 Archer
Injuries: 2 Uninjured
HARD LANDING AND LOSS OF CONTROL
The Piper Archer made a hard landing on RWY 22R at Mesa Falcon Field (FFZ) resulting in the left main and nose gear collapsing on landing. The aircraft veered off the runway and came to rest between the parallel runways. The NTSB assessed the damage to be substantial.
Date: April 25, 2023
Source: FAA (Incident)
Location: Nogales International Airport (OLS)
Type: Piper PA32RT-300T
Injuries: 1 Uninjured
LANDED GEAR UP
The Piper Lance made a gear up landing at Nogales International Airport. The damage was assessed to be minor.
Date: April 26, 2023
Source: ASN, FAA, NTSB
Location: Glendale (GEU)
Type: Remos GX
Injuries: 2 Uninjured
HARD LANDING
The Remos GX landed hard, bounced, and rolled off the runway into the dirt. Damage to the airplane was reported to be substantial.
Date: April 27, 2023
Source: FAA (Incident)
Location: Goodyear
Type: AS350 Eurocopter
Injuries: Unknown Uninjured
BIRD STRIKE
The Eurocopter experienced a bird strike 15 NM southwest of Goodyear Airport, and the helicopter made a landing at a helipad without incident. There was damage to the front left nose of the helo from the bird strike. An assessment of the damage had not yet been made when this report was prepared.
Date: April 29, 2023
Source: ASN, FAA, NTSB
Location: Queen Creek, Pegasus Air Park (5AZ3)
Type: Cessna 170B
Injuries: 1 Uninjured
LOSS OF CONTROL LANDING
The Cessna 170B flipped over on its back after an encounter with a crosswind at Pegasus Airpark (5AZ3). The aircraft damage was substantial.
Date: May 5, 2023
Source: FAA (Incident)
Location: Tucson Ryan Field (RYN)
Type: Piper PA28
Injuries: 2 Uninjured
LOSS OF CONTROL LANDING
After touchdown the Piper PA28 veered off the runway. The pilot called the tower and requested permission to taxi back onto taxiway B, and they taxied back to parking without incident. The pilot later stated that the student had improperly applied the brakes upon landing. There was no reported damage to either the aircraft or the airport.
Date: May 8, 2023
Source: FAA (Incident)
Location: Mesa Falcon Field (FFZ)
Type: Piper PA44-180 Seminole
Injuries: 2 Uninjured
LOSS OF CONTROL TAKING OFF
Immediately after commencing the takeoff roll, the pilot lost control of the aircraft. It slowly exited the runway environment and went into the infield next to the runway. Airport personnel reported there was no damage to the aircraft or to the airport infrastructure.
Date: May 21, 2023
Source: ASN, NTSB
Location: Motown (5AZ6) (Near Mobile)
Type: Aviat A-1B Husky
Injuries: 2 Uninjured
HARD LANDING
The Aviat Husky took off from Ak-Chin Regional Airport and subsequently experienced a landing gear collapse and nose over during its landing at Motown Airport (5AZ6), south of Mobile.
Date: May 24, 2023
Source: ASN, APA Member
Location: Tucson (TUS)
Type: Cessna 177B Cardinal
Injuries: 1 Serious Injury
LOSS OF CONTROL AFTER TAKEOFF
The Cessna Cardinal sustained substantial damage when it crashed during takeoff from Tucson International (TUS). It was reported that the pilot appeared to be attempting to return to TUS after takeoff. It was also suspected that the engine may have recently been overhauled.
Date: May 24, 2023
Source: ASN
Location: Casa Grande (CGZ)
Type: Cessna 172S Skyhawk
Injuries: 2 Uninjured
LOSS OF CONTROL LANDING
The Skyhawk departed Chandler Airport and during its landing at Casa Grande Municipal Airport it was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway and struck a fence and a tree.