Overview
- Newly released tower recordings capture the pilot reporting low RPMs and saying he could not make it back to Deer Valley Airport before contact was lost.
- The Piper PA-28 departed Deer Valley on March 4 and crashed about six minutes later around 7:20 a.m. during an attempted return.
- The aircraft clipped the roof of one house and came to rest nose-down in a neighboring backyard, damaging two homes including a baby’s room without injuring the infant.
- Three people were hospitalized in stable condition — a flight instructor, a student pilot, and a resident — with the student later released and the instructor monitored for fractures.
- Hazmat crews addressed a fuel leak, nearby residents were displaced and assisted by the Red Cross, and the FAA and NTSB continue their investigation after removing the wreckage on March 5.