A Piper PA-28 crashed into a residential neighborhood in north Phoenix Wednesday morning, injuring a flight instructor, a student pilot and a homeowner. According to the FAA, the aircraft went down shortly before 7:30 a.m. while flying toward Deer Valley Airport. The aircraft, which was on a training flight, struck a home before coming to rest in the backyard of another residence near Cave Creek Road and Deer Valley Drive.
Phoenix Fire Department officials said the flight instructor and student onboard the aircraft were transported to a hospital in stable condition with minor cuts and burn injuries. A resident of one of the homes was also taken to a hospital as a precaution.
“It hit two houses. Fortunately, everyone was okay,” Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller told local news. “Situations like this when you do have multiple residences involved and you have houses with people coming and going, it is a miracle that no one was injured.”
HAPPENING NOW: Crews are investigating after a small plane crashed into a home near Cave Creek Road and Deer Valley Drive. https://t.co/oXY3CpzFcu pic.twitter.com/9xrwEjh4HE
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) March 4, 2026
Fire officials told local FOX 10 that the aircraft took off from Deer Valley Airport and attempted to return before the crash. Aerial video from local news outlets showed portions of the aircraft on the roof of one house while the main wreckage came to rest in a nearby backyard.
They couldn’t land/crash on the street next to the houses? They had to hit the homes? With an INSTRUCTOR on board?
It’ll be interesting to learn of the circumstances in this crash. I’m wondering if the Instructor was someone accumulating hours to gain entrance into the Airline cadre? I’ve had experiences with relatively low time “instructors” who are building hours yet gaining negligible “experience” for the airlines?