Mid-Air With MiG-21 On Photo Flight Believed Not The Cause

A twin-engine Piper Cheyennne on a photo mission with a MiG-21 went down near Prescott, AZ early Wednesday afternoon, killing a confirmed five and possibly six people. While early reports suggested there was a mid-air collision, it appears now that the Cheyenne did not clip the Mig and crashed for undetermined reasons.

The two aircraft took off from Prescott airport about 60 miles north of Phoenix to photograph the Soviet-designed Mig before it flew on to an airshow, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

He explained to the Associated Press that Mig pilot, Bob Ray, told investigators he thought he had a problem with his landing gear door about 20 minutes into the flight. He asked the Cheyenne's pilot to inspect the gear door, and the Cheyenne flew underneath but never appeared on the other side.

The Mig pilot then called Air Traffic Control to report a possible collision at 8,900 feet.

The FAA spokesman said a cursory inspection on the ground showed no sign of damage to the fighter.

Ray has flown his MiG-21 for about two years after a career as a Naval Aviator and claimed that he was not performing any unusual maneuvers before the accident. He was forced to cancel his plans to fly in the Goodyear Balloon and Air Spectacular because of the investigation the AP reports. 

Prescott tower controllers had earlier warned the Cheyenne’s pilot of vapor trailing from his right engine on departure. They say the pilot responded he felt it wasn't a problem.

A large column of smoke from the fire aided search crews in locating the Cheyenne’s wreckage 16 miles northwest of Prescott. "The plane was completely burned up," said John Ginn, fire district chief for Chino Valley north of Prescott. "The only thing left was a small section of tail and two engines. There was very little discernible" he told the AP.

Scott Reed, a spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, said the medical examiner's office will determine exactly who and how many were on the plane. It is possible there was a sixth person on board.

"It's fair to say that we have an idea who may have been on the plane, but we can't release names until we have positive identification," he said.

The FAA and the NTSB are on the scene and are investigating the accident.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov