Overview
- The NTSB’s preliminary report finds an in-flight loss of engine power led to the crash in a north Phoenix neighborhood during a training flight.
- Investigators say the Piper PA-28-140 lost rpm to about 600 to 700, began vibrating, and the instructor radioed a return before the engine quit seconds before impact.
- The airplane hit one roof, struck a second home’s wall, and came to rest nose-down in a backyard with debris contained within about 20 feet.
- The flight instructor suffered serious injuries, while the student pilot and a person inside a home had minor injuries.
- Investigators removed the wreckage for closer study because the specific mechanical cause of the engine failure remains unknown.