Wed, Sep 21, 2016
Aircraft Caught Fire And Impacted A Home, All Aboard Escaped Via Parachute
A skydiving plane caught fire carrying a group that was planning a pyrotechnic display for a town fair near Phoenix, AZ caught fire while traveling to drop zone, and eventually impacted a home in a Phoenix suburb.
Fortunately, everyone on board the aircraft, as well as the two people in the home and their pets, survived the accident.
The Associated Press reports that all of the skydivers exited the plane after it caught fire, and landed where they had planned. The pilot continued to try to fly the airplane, but eventually declared an emergency, saying one wing was on fire, and he had fire in the cockpit.
The pilot initially tried to fight the fire, but eventually bailed out of the airplane using the parachute he was required to wear, and the unmanned plane impacted the home. He was hospitalized for treatment of burns.
The residents, Sharon and Peter LeBeau, told local media that they were "grateful to God to be alive."
The skydivers said that the Arizona Skyhawks Parachute Team has performed at the fair for the past three or four years, according to the report. The completed their jump and landed in the intended drop zone. There are only about 40 people in the country certified for pyrotechnic skydiving. The website and Facebook page for the Arizona Skyhawks Parachute Team had been deactivated.
FAA records indicated that the plane was registered to a business in Chandler, AZ.
More News
Back-Taxi A term used by air traffic controllers to taxi an aircraft on the runway opposite to the traffic flow. The aircraft may be instructed to back-taxi to the beginning of the>[...]
“Our WAI members across the nation are grateful for the service and sacrifice of the formidable group of WASP who served so honorably during World War II. This group of brave>[...]
“Many aspiring pilots fall short of their goal due to the cost of flight training, so EAA working with the Ray Foundation helps relieve some of the financial pressure and mak>[...]
Blind Speed The rate of departure or closing of a target relative to the radar antenna at which cancellation of the primary radar target by moving target indicator (MTI) circuits i>[...]
Aero Linx: International Airline Medical Association (IAMA) The International Airline Medical Association, formerly known as the Airline Medical Directors Association (AMDA) was fo>[...]