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A small aircraft crash that involved two homes in Phoenix last month, injuring three individuals, was likely caused by engine failure shortly after takeoff, according to federal investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report indicating that the Piper PA-28-140 experienced a significant loss in engine power soon after leaving Deer Valley Airport on March 4. This prompted the instructor to try an emergency landing.
The aircraft, which was being flown by a student pilot under the guidance of a flight instructor, managed to climb to approximately 1,700 feet before attempting to return to the airport. However, the plane did not make it back.
According to the report, the engine’s RPM dropped to between 600 and 700, accompanied by vibrations, before momentarily stabilizing. Despite the pilot’s attempts to regain power, the engine’s performance continued to decline and failed completely just 5 to 10 seconds before the crash.
On board were the student pilot and the instructor, who both sustained injuries when the plane crashed into a residential area in Phoenix on Wednesday, March 4. They were subsequently transported to a hospital for medical attention.
Investigators reviewed home surveillance footage from the neighborhood that shows the small plane flying low over houses before it entered a shallow right turn, dropping its right wing. The wing struck the roof of a home before slamming into an exterior wall of a second home next door. The plane came to rest in the backyard of the second home.
A man inside a home was taken to a hospital for injuries after the crash. (FOX10 Phoenix KSAZ)
Aerial footage of the aftermath showed wreckage scattered across the roof, including the plane’s right wing still lodged in the roof, while the fuselage sat crumpled in the backyard.
Hazmat crews responded to the scene after fuel leaked from the crashed plane. (FOX10 Phoenix KSAZ)
The crash shocked residents, one of whom described the impact to FOX10 Phoenix as sounding like “a bomb went off.”
The NTSB said weather conditions were clear at the time, ruling out environmental factors and pointing attention toward mechanical issues as a key focus of the investigation.
Investigators are now examining the engine and wreckage, which has been recovered to a secure facility, to determine what caused the loss of power.
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