7 dead in crash involving tourists in Arizona

One Dead

One Dead. One or more of the remaining six injured. Sad day.
 
Dang. Hard to figure... winds were gusty (12-24), with some crosswind, but those pilots deal with that a lot. Maybe wind shear. Those winds have moved down South into Phoenix today and they are pretty shifty.
 
RIP

Wiki says the 207 is prone to tail strikes on landing. You have to wonder...
 
I got a bit of time in a 207 (550), IMO it's a very honest plane albeit a little bit of a dog at gross, never came close to tail striking it ether.
 
Is Richard still flying these deals out there?

No. This aircraft was landing RWY 15. This approach features downdrafts on very short final due to the rise in terrain leading up to the top of the mesa upon which the aprt is built. For situations like this (Sedona comes to mind) it is best to stay slightly high to avoid the strongest downdrafts. A normal slope will be too low in moderate winds. I've been in contact with folks out there but it's a speculation at this point.
What is known is the aircraft flipped inverted and some witnesses mentioned the aircraft landed 'tail low'. That bird won't fly again.
 
Last edited:
RIP

Wiki says the 207 is prone to tail strikes on landing. You have to wonder...

The only time I've seen a 207 on it's tail is when the pilot was careless in loading. Never, not once in thousands of landings did I see or feel a 207 even close to a tail strike.
 
Back
Top