Feds release preliminary report on deadly Arizona plane crash

The small airplane that crashed on a suburban Phoenix golf course this month banked on its left side before it dived into the ground and burst into flames, according to a preliminary report released by federal investigators.

Traffic camera footage and a witness statement also revealed the plane’s wings rocked during and after takeoff, according to the report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The fiery crash on April 9 killed all six people aboard, including three from Las Vegas: Helena Lagos, 22; Erik Valente, 32; and James Pedroza, 28.

The NTSB report said a student pilot was in the front left seat, and that a licensed transport pilot was in the right seat. No one on board had student pilot certification, FAA records show.

Investigators have not said who was flying the plane, but Federal Aviation Administration records show the only certified pilot on board was Valente.

A traffic camera captured the sharp bank about a half-mile northwest of the end of the airport runway in Scottsdale, according to the NTSB report.

“The wings became nearly vertical, and the view of the airplane was lost behind a berm,” the report reads. “Seconds later, the camera caught a fireball when the airplane impacted the terrain.”

A witness who watched the plane take off told investigators that they did not see any smoke, fire or vapor coming from the plane, according to the report. The witness also did not report hearing any unusual sounds coming from the aircraft.

The crash site was about a quarter-mile from the end of the runway, according to the report.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.