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Preliminary information indicated the six-seater HondaJet HA-420
aircraft was headed to Provo, Utah, when it aborted takeoff at
the Falcon Field airport in Mesa on Tuesday afternoon. The plane
crashed through the airport's metal fence before colliding with
a vehicle that was traveling on a road west of the airport,
according to authorities.
Aviation International News said data shows the HondaJet
accelerated to more than 153 mph on a 5,100-foot runway before
taxiing about 1,300 feet from the end of the runway. The jet
then slowed to about 118 mph by the runway’s end.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for Flightradar24 that shows air
traffic in real time, said the HondaJet was traveling 78.25 mph
at its last recorded position before the crash.
It was not immediately clear why the plane was not able to take
off. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the
investigation with help from the Federal Aviation Administration
and Mesa authorities.
Four of the five passengers aboard the jet died at the scene,
Mesa police said Wednesday. The unidentified pilot was
hospitalized with serious burn injuries.
Those aboard the plane included 12-year-old Graham Kimball and
his 44-year-old father, Drew Kimball. The two other victims were
Rustin Randall, 48, and Spencer Lindahl, 43, who were both
listed as managers of Ice Man Holdings LLC, a company based in
Mesa.
The driver of the vehicle also died at the scene. Authorities
were withholding the person's name pending positive
identification.
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