In Philadelphia, a Piper Pilot 100i aircraft owned by flight school Fly Legacy Aviation lost engine power and clipped a tree while attempting an emergency landing at Friends of Fluehr Park on Wednesday. Both the flight instructor and the student pilot, a 43-year-old off-duty Philadelphia police officer with 17 years of service, were severely injured. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said both men were conscious, but the crash caused a small fuel spill, prompting a hazmat team to be called to the scene.
The men had been heading back to the Northeast Philadelphia Airport after flying for about 40 minutes when they lost power. In audio recordings, the pilot told air traffic control they were having engine problems and needed to land immediately. Fly Legacy Aviation General Manager Alex Souponetsky said the company has operated in Philadelphia for 11 years and has never had an incident like this.
Souponetsky explained that the pilots lost engine power over the Delaware River, reported the issue over the radio, then attempted to glide back toward the airport. Souponetsky said he does not know why the engine lost its power, and it has regular inspections. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
In Phoenix, a small training plane carrying a student pilot and a flight instructor crashed into two homes in north Phoenix before coming to rest nose-down in a backyard. The Piper PA-28 lost one of its wings during the crash and ended up next to a swimming pool near the second house it struck. Fire officials said the instructor, the student pilot and a man inside one of the homes were injured and taken to hospital.
The aircraft had been heading to nearby Deer Valley Airport when the crash occurred. Emergency crews responded to the scene and an investigation into the incident is underway.