Mesa (Arizona): A 12-year-old boy was among five people who died in the fiery crash of a small business jet near a suburban Phoenix airport, authorities said Wednesday. 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 travelling 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 travelling 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 hospitalised 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.
(With inputs from agency)
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