APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. — A plane crashed in the Hog Canyon area southeast of Flatiron in the Superstition Wilderness Saturday morning, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
The sheriff's office said the aircraft involved in the crash was a small two-seater airplane. Two people were onboard when the crash happened and both are deceased.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said the deceased pilot has been identified as 45-year-old Simon Nurrish and the passenger as 53-year-old Stuart Gregory.
Nurrish was the COO of merchant services at Bank of America.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the single-engine Socata TB-30 Epsilon aircraft crashed around 7:50 a.m. The plane took off from Falcon Field Airport in Mesa before crashing.
On Monday, the FAA released its preliminary accident/incident report, saying the aircraft crashed into the Superstition Mountains “under unknown circumstances” and was destroyed.
Authorities said that multiple parties saw the plane go down, and air support was able to confirm the crash site.
Jack Olson lives a few miles away from where the crash happened.
"I just happened to step out into my driveway and have a clear view of this, and I happened to see smoke come from the mountain."
Olson captured pictures of the aftermath of the crash.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane was part of a flight of three planes flying in formation and crashed under unknown circumstances.
The destination for the planes was Payson.
According to NTSB, the "plane crashed into mountainous terrain and was consumed by a post-crash fire."
Bill Waldock, a Professor of Safety Science at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott, said the fire would complicate the investigation, adding that formation flying accidents are not as common as other accidents.
Waldock said that communication with the FAA and between the planes will be information to consider.
“Were they at appropriate altitudes - meaning a long way above the terrain when you're doing that? Were they maneuvering? Were they just in formation, flying straight and level? Those are all the types of things that come into play here,” Waldock said.
NTSB is leading the investigation into the crash.
Officials with the NTSB said an investigator "will document the accident site, airplane, and collect any flight track or radar data that may be available."
They expect to have a preliminary report within two to three weeks.
The time to investigate the crash and work on a probable cause is important, Waldock said, in hopes of understanding the crash and preventing future accidents.
“We can’t stop that accident. But we can stop the next one from a similar cause; that’s why we do it,” Waldock said.
Airplane crashes in Superstition Mountains
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