Preliminary NTSB Report Doesn’t List Cause Of Plane Crash That Killed Blaine Matthews


– A new report from a federal agency does not identify the cause of a plane crash near Payson earlier this year that killed one person and injured two others.

The National Transportation Safety Bureau last week released a preliminary report regarding the Jan. 24 crash that killed 59-year-old Blaine Matthews, of Mesa. The pilot and another passenger were seriously injured.

According to the report, the pilot was flying 1,000 feet above ground level over the Mazatzal Mountain Range at 9:11 a.m. Jan. 24 during a return to Falcon Field Airport in Mesa. The passengers were spotting wildlife on the terrain below, the report stated.

The pilot said the plane, a single-engine Piper, was not malfunctioning. He told authorities he does not remember anything before he woke up at the crash site, a small creek about 10 miles southwest of Payson.

Examination of the scene revealed the airplane struck steep brush-covered terrain. The debris field stretched about 145 feet and the craft’s cabin and forward fuselage mostly were consumed by postimpact fire.

The NTSTB will continue investigating the incident in advance of preparing a final evaluation. Investigators will attempt to determine the cause of the crash – user error, equipment malfunction, etc. – and then issue guidance to reduce the potential for similar incidents in the future.

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