Home-Built Airplane Crashes On Phoenix Street

A home-built single-engine plane crashed in a Phoenix intersection not far from Deer Valley Airport, killing the pilot and his passenger. Phoenix Police Sergeant Mercedes Fortune released a statement identifying the pilot as 54-year-old Theodore Rich, and his passenger as 49-year-old Elaine Carpenter.

The plane struck two automobiles in the intersection, but the cars' passengers were not injured and refused medical attention at the scene of the accident. The driver of one of the vehicles did drive to the hospital later in the day complaining of head pain. 

Officials said that Rich was practicing "touch-and-go" maneuvers when the experimental Acroduster crashed. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident. 

It was the second time a home-built plane has crashed in the Phoenix area in the last three days. Over the weekend, a police helicopter located a crashed plane in a rugged area near Camp Verde, which is about 90 miles north of Phoenix.

The crash did not impact other flights out of Deer Valley Airport, which handles corporate jets and has two flight-training schools


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