
by Jim Timm
The following are the reports of aviation accidents and incidents that have occurred in Arizona from mid-July through August. We hope to use the following detailed accident information to develop safety programs, briefings, and posters/flyers to help pilots learn from the mistakes being made by others take the necessary action to prevent them from having similar occurrences.
In this reporting period aviation safety was very good because the number of accidents were down, there were no injuries, and most importantly, 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: July 13, 2023
Source: FAA Incident
Location: Scottsdale (SDL)
Type: Piper Cessna 172
Injuries: 1 Uninjured
Runway Excursion
The aircraft was on a student solo conducting touch-and-goes at Scottsdale, and during a landing the aircraft veered off the runway, proceeded through the infield rocks crossing Taxiway B12, and came to a stop on Taxiway B11. The aircraft taxied back to parking under its own power. Ground operations made a runway inspection and cleared the FOD off Taxiways B11 and B12. Airport operations later made contact with the aircraft and didn’t observe any damage to the aircraft or injuries. No other aircraft were involved.
Date: July 18, 2023
Source: FAA Incident
Location: Prescott (PRC)
Type: Cessna 172
Injuries: UNK Uninjured
RUNWAY EXCURSION
The aircraft was cleared for touch-and-goes, and during a landing the aircraft went off the runway and exited at Taxiway A2. Airport Operations were called, made a runway inspection, and did note damage to a runway light. Operations also inspected the aircraft and found no visible aircraft damage.
Date: August 5, 2023
Source: ASN, FAA
Location: Springerville
Type: Boeing CH46S Sea Knight
Injuries: 3 Uninjured
ENGINE FAILURE
While fighting a forest fire, a Boeing CH-46S Sea Knight was performing a water bucket load and lost power on the number 2 engine. During the crash it rolled over on its side during impact and caught fire. The damage, while significant, was undefined.
Date: August 8, 2023
Source: FAA, Incident
Location: Williams Gateway (IWA)
Type: Piper PA28-181
Injuries: 1 Uninjured
RUNWAY EXCURSION
The solo student pilot was cleared to land on Runway 30L, and on touchdown the aircraft ran off the runway and into the safety area. There was no damage to the aircraft or to the airport property.