Legal news for Arizona aviation accident attorneys. A man is lucky to be alive after a terrifying plane crash in the Gila River Reservation.
Arizona aviation accident attorneys alert- A pilot is in critical condition following a plane crash in the Gila River Reservation.
Phoenix, AZ– One man is lucky to be alive after surviving a plane crash that left him trapped underneath the wreckage, face down for over eight hours. The plane crashed on Wednesday morning, March 17, 2010 on the Gila River Reservation near 51st Avenue and Pecos around 9:00 a.m., as reported by AZFamily.com.
The pilot, who is believed to be Charles Blanchette, 63, of Phoenix, reportedly contacted the Glendale control tower to report that he had lost power in his single-engine experimental plane and was going down. The plane was 25 miles southwest of the airport when it crashed into the desert. Crews from the Civil Air Patrol searched until one member spotted him and the wreckage. The pilot spent over eight hours in the desert; face down with his body stuck underneath the damaged plane until rescue teams arrived. Miraculously, he was still conscious when help arrived. He is currently listed in critical condition. Officials have yet to confirm if Blanchette was piloting the plane. He is listed as the registered owner of the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) http://www.faa.gov/ and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) http://www.ntsb.gov/ are conducting a full investigation into the plane crash, which will begin on Thursday.
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for Arizona aviation accident lawyers.
