History of Flight
On September 13, 2012, about 1453 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N4188E, collided with steep terrain within a canyon near Strawberry, Arizona. The airplane was being operated by CAE Global Academy Phoenix under a training services agreement with KLM Flight Academy, under 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional/evaluation flight. The student pilot, certified flight instructor (CFI), and a private pilot-rated passenger acting as an evaluator sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage and was subsequently consumed by post-impact fire.
The cross-country flight departed Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona, at 1412, with a presumed destination of Payson, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan was filed. The student pilot was located in the forward left seat, the CFI in the forward right seat, and the evaluator in an aft seat. The purpose of the flight was to conduct a phase check for the student as part of his training towards JAA certification.
Prior to departure, the evaluator reported to a CAE senior instructor that his intention was to have the student plan for a VFR flight to Winslow, Arizona, with a subsequent emergency practice diversion to Payson. The location of the diversion was unknown to the student pilot.
The airplane did not return at the expected time, and an Alert Notice was issued about 2130. A search located the wreckage about 2100 the following day. The wreckage was at an elevation of about 5,800 feet within a densely forested area of the Fossil Creek Wilderness, at the northeast end of Calf Pen Canyon.
Personnel Information
The CFI, aged 25, held a commercial pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate with single-engine land rating. He had 806 total flight hours, including 21 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He was not an approved instructor in the KLS program.
The student pilot, aged 19, held a first-class medical certificate and had accumulated 79 total flight hours, all in the accident airplane make and model. His father was a KLM pilot who had known the evaluator since 1983.
The evaluator, aged 68, held a JAA airline transport pilot certificate with flight examiner authorization and an FAA private pilot license. He was the US single-engine flight training manager for KLS.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1999 Piper PA-28-181 equipped with a Lycoming O-360-A4M engine and fixed-pitch propeller. At the last progressive inspection, completed the morning of the accident, the airframe had 14,975 hours and the engine had 14,309 total hours, 2,566 since overhaul.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Payson Airport at 1455 included wind from 040 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 17, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 27°C, dew point 6°C. Density altitude at the last known radar position would have been about 8,221 feet. No significant weather was expected; a Convective SIGMET for thunderstorms did not impact the route.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane came to rest at the base of a rock abutment, surrounded by pine trees. Scaring was present on tree bark and fresh rock damage was noted at the 50-foot level. The cabin, right wing, vertical stabilizer, and right stabilator were consumed by fire. The engine sustained thermal damage but remained attached. No preimpact anomalies were found in the airframe or engine.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies determined the cause of death as blunt force and thermal injuries for the evaluator and CFI, and blunt force injuries for the student pilot. Toxicological tests were negative for alcohol and screened drugs for the CFI and student pilot. For the evaluator, carbon monoxide (16%), cyanide (0.36 µg/ml), flecainide, and metoprolol were detected.
Additional Information
Interviews indicated the student pilot had expressed concern about the flight plan, including low-altitude routing over mountainous terrain. The flight was planned at altitudes between 500 and 1,500 feet agl, consistent with KLS training practices. The operations manual referenced FAA minimum altitude requirements but did not specify a preferred altitude for VFR cross-country flights.