Mother Loses Three Children in Fiery Crash in Arizona Mountains

ABC News ^ | 2011-11-24 | Alyssa Newcomb & Michael S. James

[rabscuttle385]

An Arizona sheriff said he tried today to comfort the mother of a family that perished when a small plane crashed into Superstition Mountain, a crash the sheriff said that no one could have survived.

The twin-engine aircraft, which carried three adults and three children, was en route to Safford, Ariz., when it crashed Wednesday night in the jagged terrain of the Superstition Mountains.

[jagusafr]

Lord, what a tragedy. No weather, so it was either pilot error, intentional (God forbid) or equipment malfunction (probably not enough left to test). Prayers for this mom who lost all of her babies.

Colonel, USAFR

[Texas Eagle]

Just damn.

Didn't she also lose a husband or wasn't there a father that lost those three children as well?

[originalbuckeye]

Husband lived in Safford and wife lived in Mesa. People on the ground said it sounded like it was revving it's engines but didn't clear the mountain. Horrific tragedy. Prayers for this mom who is surely bereft.

[hattend]

There is a video of the crash on youtube.

Pilot must not have known where he was because he flew into the side of the mountain under control.

Rest in Peace

[Yaelle]

I know I would not want to live under that condition. Prayers up for her. I don’t think there is any comfort on this world for her but may Gd heal the agony in her.

[HerrBlucher]

The divorced father was one of the pilots in the plane and he had just picked up his three children from his ex. What a horrible tragedy.

[Outlaw Woman]

A video of the crash?? How did that happen?

That poor woman...prayers for her.

[CodeToad]

Just a guess but I suspect the pilot had never flown with that much weight before and didn’t perform a Weight & Balance sheet to determine his performance figures. The airplane didn’t climb like he expected and had control/stall issues, which is why he didn’t turn away. That type of accident happens a bit more than people know.

[Texas Eagle]

Ah. Thanks for the assist.

I guess if I'd've just clicked on the link I would've learned all that for myself. I just don't like clicking to links like ABCNews, CNN, MSNBC, etc.

The headline sounded weird. I knew there were six people on board but of course they are going to focus on the loss of the children. As if dead adults are no big deal.

Sorry for politicizing this tragedy. Sometimes I say things without thinking.

Prayers for the mother as well as the family members of the other victims.

[Saundra Duffy]

May this mother be comforted by the Holy Spirit. I cannot even imagine.

[mazda77]

The father was the pilot.

[KeyLargo]

Sad.

AVIATION PING

[KeyLargo]

Sad.

AVIATION PING

[hattend]

Surveillance video from a homeowner...just happened to be pointing toward the mountain.

[poindexter]

According to my weather clock, it’s a new moon. Flying over terrain with few or no lights on the ground, and no moon means it must have been very dark, with few or no visual references to the ground. Under those conditions, it’s almost like not being able to see at all. Pilot may have had no idea what he was flying towards.

http://www.aopa.org/asf/epilot_acc/lax06fa091.html

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[yldstrk]

3 pilots??????//

I am guessing a pilot, the divorced dad, the three kids and a girlfriend.............

[Outlaw Woman]

Ahh. That makes sense then. I didn’t see the word surveillance in the article and it just struck me as strange.

The crash sounds very similar to Patsy Cline’s crash years ago..flew directly into the Mountainside, although I think there was some fog/weather involved in that crash.

Very tragic

[ladyvet]

I have a brother in law that would never fly or drive any distance with the family together. He would put his wife and half the kids on another flight or they would take two cars. I never understood it since I figured it doubled your chances of something happening to half and they say most accidents happen within five miles from home anyways.