Arizona

The KC-135A aircraft departed Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport at 0755 MST for a scheduled 3-hour and 30-minute flight. After completing the navigation leg, the aircraft descended into the Phoenix area for transition at Luke AFB. After completing one TACAN approach at Luke AFB, the KC-135A aircraft was vectored to Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport for an ILS touch-and-go landing. The aircraft was then vectored back to the final approach course for a TACAN runway 03 left approach at Luke AFB. The KC-135A aircraft was cleared for the approach to Luke AFB, and after the final approach fix radio call, a midair collision occurred with a Grumman American Yankee civilian aircraft. The empennage of the KC-135A separated, rendering the aircraft incapable of flight and it was destroyed upon ground impact. The Grumman American Yankee aircraft was destroyed during the midair collision. The four crew members in the KC-135A and the two civilians in the Grumman American Yankee were fatalities.
Crew:
LT Col James N. Floor,
Lt Col Ted L. Beam,
Maj Truman R. Young Jr.,
T/Sgt Donald J. Plough.

The single engine airplane departed Grand Canyon-National Park Airport on a local touristic flight with six passengers and one pilot on board. Few minutes after takeoff, the engine failed. The pilot attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crash landed in a field near Tusayan. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven occupants were seriously injured.

While completing an on-demand local touristic flight, the engine failed during normal cruise. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crash landed in rough terrain. A passenger was killed while six other occupants escaped with minor or no injuries.

After takeoff from Prescott-Ernest A. Love, while in initial climb, the twin engine airplane stalled and crashed. All 10 occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

At 1702, Scenic Airlines flight 306, a Cessna 404, VFR commuter flight to Phoenix, crashed approximately three miles south of runway 21 after takeoff from the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. The aircraft cut a swath through a densely wooded area on a magnetic heading of 165° and came to rest upright about 230 feet from the initial point of impact with trees. Impact forces and an intense fire destroyed the aircraft. The pilot and six of the seven passengers were killed in the accident. One passenger survived the accident but died five days later as a result of thermal injuries.

The airplane skidded off the right side of runway 21R while attempting a simulated hydraulic-systems-inoperative landing at the Yuma International Airport, Yuma, Arizona. The aircraft came to rest about 6,700 feet beyond the landing threshold of the runway. Although the aircraft was damaged substantially the three flightcrew members were not injured. There were no passengers. The weather was clear and the runway was dry. The aircraft was on an FAA certification test flight to demonstrate compliance with a special condition to 14 CFR Part 25. The purpose of the flight was to show that the aircraft could be controlled adequately and landed safely with a complete failure of its hydraulic systems. The aircraft landed about 1,735 feet beyond the threshold of runway 21R, and the pilot deployed the thrust reverses and applied reverse thrust before the nosewheel touched down. The aircraft began to yaw, continued to yaw after the nosewheel touched down, it then ground looped to the right, and slid off the right side of the runway. All three crew members were slightly injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The twin engine airplane departed Tucson-Ryan Airport on a local post maintenance flight, carrying one pilot and one mechanic. During initial climb, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a field. Both occupants were killed.

On November 16, 1979, Nevada Airlines, Inc., Flight 2504, a Martin 404 (N40438), was a chartered flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Arizona, and return. About 0935 / Flight 2504 departed Las Vegas to carry a French tour group to the Grand Canyon for a sightseeing tour. There were 41 passengers and a crew of 3 aboard for the roundtrip. The crew and passengers reported that the trip from Las Vegas to Tusayan was routine. After a scenic flight over the Grand Canyon, a landing was made at Tusayan after about 1 hr 10 min of flight time. No fuel, oil, or antidetonate (ADI) fluid was taken on, and no baggage was placed aboard at Tusayan. Takeoff for the return flight was started at 1450 from runway 3. The copilot was to make the takeoff from the right seat. The weather was clear, visibility unlimited, and winds were from 040° at 15 kns. The crew stated that all pretakeoff checklist items were completed and that the takeoff roll was normal. The captain said that he checked the engine instruments at V speed, takeoff safety speed, as the aircraft was rotated for takeoff and "everything was normal." He said he raised the landing gear and, almost immediately thereafter, sensed a loss of power from the left engine. He said he took control of the aircraft from the copilot and noticed that the left engine autofeather light was illuminated and the feather button depressed. About 1451:20, the tower local controller stated, '...do you want to come back?" The captain-said he told the copilot to advise the tower that the flight had lost an engine and was returning to the airport. At 1451:50, the copilot told the tower, '... we're (sic) lost an engine and we want to come back around." The local controller cleared the aircraft as requested. There was no reply from Flight 2504. The captain stated that he noticed a 200-fpm rate of climb when the aircraft reached the departure end of the runway. He said that after passing the runway the aircraft encountered a downdraft and turbulence which overcame the single engine climb performance of the aircraft. He said that, as the engine failure emergency checklist was being accomplished, he made a slight left turn to avoid a radio tower along the flightpath. The copilot stated that the aircraft passed to the left of and below the top of the tower; the top of the tower is 6,739 feet, about 100 feet above the ground. Even though she was aware of an engine problem, the flight attendant stated that she was not aware that an engine had failed. She said she was not warned by the cockpit crew about the impending crash. The passengers recalled hearing no unusual noises during the takeoff; however, several of them saw the left propeller stop shortly after the aircraft left the ground. Several passengers stated that, once the aircraft was airborne and after the left engine had failed, they experienced a "rocking" movement of the aircraft. One passenger, a pilot who was seated at the front of the cabin, said he was aware that the left propeller had been feathered and that, immediately thereafter, the aircraft began to descend. None of the passengers interviewed, were aware that the aircraft was going to crash until they heard the noise of a tree strike. They said there was no warning given by the crew. Several witnesses on the ground stated that they saw the aircraft flying low with the left propeller stationary. Some reported that the landing gear was up. No witnesses reported smoke, fire, or any other problems with the aircraft before impact. The airport tower personnel stated that they saw the left propeller stop when the aircraft was abeam of their position in the tower and slightly below the top of the tower. The tower is located about 6,000 ft from the beginning of Flight 2504's takeoff roll. Tower personnel stated that the aircraft never climbed over 100 ft above the ground level. They said the aircraft banked slightly to the left and descended into the trees. They activated the crash notification circuit when they realized an accident was inevitable. The captain stated that he "was making it except for the downdrafts," and he noticed that the airspeed had decreased to 105 knots; V2 was about 101,5 knots. He said that when he saw that the temperature of the right engine cylinder head was rising rapidly toward the maximum limit, he reduced the manifold pressure about 2 inHg to avoid engine failure. However, he said the inability of the aircraft to climb and the proximity of the terrain required that he return the right engine to full power and select a forced-landing area. The captain stated that, since terrain surrounding the airport was heavily wooded, he headed for the clear area north of the field. He said that when he realized that he would not clear two tall trees before reaching the clear area, he lowered the nose slightly and "flew through the trees." The cockpit struck one of the trees, shattering the captain's windshield. The captain said the aircraft lost about 20 kns of airspeed when it struck the trees and the aircraft began to roll to the left; minimum control speed with the left engine inoperative was about 91 kns. He further reduced the power on the right engine, rolled the wings level, and rotated the aircraft so that it would strike the ground in a nose-high altitude. Both pilots said they hit the ground three times, with each impact becoming progressively more severe. The aircraft came to rest about 850 ft beyond the point where the first trees were struck. The crashpath was oriented on a heading of 355°, and the fuselage came to rest on a heading of 070°. A fire broke out on the right side of the aircraft as it slid to a stop. The fire originated near the cockpit, which had twisted to the left about 120°. Three crew members and seven passengers were seriously injured while 34 other occupants escaped with minor injuries. The aircraft was written off.

The crew departed Chandler-Stellar Airpark on a local flight. En route, one of the engine failed. The pilot attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crashed in flames in an open field. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

While descending to Phoenix Airport, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing few miles from the airfield. The aircraft came to rest on its belly and was damaged beyond repair. The pilot escaped unhurt.