MESA, NOV 7 – A 12-year-old boy was among the five victims of a small business jet crash near an airport in suburban Phoenix, authorities said yesterday.
The six-seater HondaJet HA-420 was reportedly en route to Provo, Utah, before canceling takeoff at Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, yesterday afternoon. The plane crashed into the airport’s metal fence and collided with a vehicle moving on a nearby road, according to a statement from the authorities.
Aviation International News reported data showing the HondaJet reached speeds of more than 153 miles per hour on the 5,100-foot runway before traveling about 1,300 feet from the end of the runway. The plane’s speed drops to about 118 miles per hour at the end of the runway.
Flightradar24 spokesman Ian Petchenik, which monitors air traffic live, said the plane was traveling at 78.25 miles per hour at its last recorded position before the crash.
The cause of the plane’s failure to take off has yet to be determined, and the investigation is currently being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and authorities in Mesa. – AP
