Two single-engine aircraft, both reportedly from local flying schools, collided near Phoenix Friday, killing both occupants of both planes. One aircraft, identified by Phoenix police as a Cessna from Westwind School of Aeronautics, burned almost completely after crashing and the two occupants were not immediately identifiable. The other, a Piper Arrow III, had two flight instructors aboard and was largely intact on the ground. “I thought possibly we might have survivors,” Battalion Chief Gary Bernard of the Peoria Fire Department told the Arizona Republic.
They came together about 10 a.m. about 15 miles north of Phoenix in a remote desert area. Weather was clear at the time of the accident. The TransPac CEO confirmed the victims in the Archer were TransPac employees. “I was terribly saddened to learn of the loss of two of our members of the TransPac Aviation Academy family,” Goddard’s statement read. “The individuals involved were deeply connected here at TransPac and their loss is felt by all of us.” He did not identify them.
