[AZgirl480]

A small airplane carrying six individuals, including three young children, met a devastating fate when it slammed into the sheer cliffs of the mile-high Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. The aircraft was traveling at approximately 200 mph when the tragedy occurred, resulting in the loss of all on board, according to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

The recovery efforts have been grim, with the body of one child already retrieved, while a team of sheriff's search and rescue personnel has been diligently working to recover the remains of the other victims.

The catastrophic crash unfolded in view of a search and rescue team that was already in the rugged mountains, searching for three missing teenagers on Wednesday evening. These searchers witnessed the explosion as the twin-engine plane struck the cliff. After locating the missing teenagers, they scaled the mountain to reach the crash site.

Throughout the night, ten deputies who remained on the mountain were relieved by another ten early Thursday. They, along with numerous volunteers, commenced their search of the crash site at the first light of day. Aerial footage captured on Thursday morning revealed the wreckage strewn at the base of a charred cliff.

The victims of this tragic accident include the pilot, who was also the father of the three children on board – two boys and a girl between the ages of 5 and 9. The family resided in Safford, located in southeastern Arizona, and the father owned a small aviation business in the same area.

The ill-fated flight had originated from the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, with the pilot, another co-owner of the aviation company, and a company mechanic on board. They were en route to pick up the pilot's children for the Thanksgiving holiday when the crash occurred.

Sheriff Babeu personally delivered the heartbreaking news to the mother of the children, who resides in Mesa and is also a pilot. Due to the absence of some immediate family members, the names of the victims are not yet being released.

Babeu expressed his condolences, saying, "This is their entire family — it's terrible. Our hearts go out to the mom and the (families) of all the crash victims. We have had so many people that are working this day, and we just want to support them and embrace them and try to bring closure to this tragedy."

No distress signals or communications regarding any problems with the plane were reported. Authorities received multiple calls about a mushroom-like explosion near the mountain's peak, situated 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix, around 6:30 p.m. MST (8:30 p.m. ET). Witnesses in the area reported hearing the sound of an aircraft attempting to increase its engine power to climb higher before the apparent collision with the mountains. The elevation at the highest point of the Superstition Mountains is approximately 5,000 feet.

[zykron]

The wild west has such weird names for local territory.
If a plane crashes over the Superstitious Mountains, where do the planes end up when they pass through Elephant Butte?

[candymosh]

..

[LadyPox]

I was staring at the video and the thought occurred to me, "What if a screaming head suddenly pops up and scares the shit out of me??" I've fallen for too many of those f-ing videos.

Looks like the pilot flew right into the side of the mountain... like he wasn't even trying to pull up. Wonder what we'll find out yet?

very sad.

[kellyhound]

poor kids

[Angelahh]

funny how detailed they are about the pilot, his family even his ex being a pilot, owning the small aviation company HOWEVER they do not want to release names since not all family has been contacted.