A Honda HA-420, better known as the HondaJet, crashed outside of Phoenix, Arizona Tuesday, hitting a fence and finally colliding with a car. The crash took place at about 4:40 p.m. Tuesday evening at Falcon Field Airport in the city of Mesa, CNN reports. A spokesperson for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department has confirmed to the news outlet that five people died in the crash.
Update: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 4:03 p.m. EST - The Air Traffic Control audio has been released, and we’ve embedded a video that will help visualize the events so far below this post.
“Preliminary information indicates that the plane impacted the airport perimeter fence and a passenger vehicle during an aborted takeoff,” the National Transportation Safety Board told CNN. The Federal Aviation Administration also issued a statement saying, “Five people were on board the plane,” and that, “The aircraft struck a vehicle outside of the airport property.”
Arizona’s 12 News reports that a sixth victim is currently being treated in the hospital and that the driver of the car is among the deceased, although his name still has yet to be released. The rest of the victims includes Spencer Lindahl, 43; Rustin Randall, 48; Drew Kimball, 44 and Graham Kimball, a 12-year-old child.
“He went through that dip. He went past the road through the metal gated fence that they have, through I believe a few concrete walls,” Joshua Golabi, a witness who is also reportedly a pilot, told 12 News. “We were just about to get into our aircraft and go when we heard a pop and saw a plume of smoke.” By the time the news team arrived at the scene of the crash, the plane was reportedly already engulfed in flames.
As far as the cause of the crash goes, National Transportation Safety Board investigators are still looking into “three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.” Expect a preliminary report to be released within 30 days, although the final report may take significantly longer.
“Aviation is a difficult industry. I’m just sending out my prayers to any survivors, the families,” Tre Franklin, another pilot, told 12 News.