What you should know about the Mesa plane crash that killed five people

by Junna Base November 7, 2024

As Arizonans – like the rest of the country – cast their votes late Tuesday afternoon and awaited the results of the 2024 election, a hectic scene erupted after a small plane crashed onto Greenfield Road near Falcon Field Airport in Mesa crashed, killing five people.

Shortly after the accident, a heavy police presence cordoned off the area and there were few details about what happened in the immediate aftermath.

Marrisa Ramirez-Ramos, a spokeswoman for Mesa Fire and Medical, issued a brief statement around 7:35 p.m. Tuesday confirming that five people died in the crash. She didn’t answer any questions.

“Our community suffered a tragic loss this afternoon,” Ramirez-Ramos said.

Since then, more details have emerged about the identities of those who died and the immediate events leading up to the fatal crash. Here’s what we know so far:

How did the crash happen?

A multimillion-dollar corporate jet never left the ground before it crashed Tuesday in Mesa, killing five people, according to witnesses.

The six-passenger jet plowed through a field at the end of a runway at Falcon Field Airport, crashed into a fence, slid onto Greenfield Road, struck a vehicle and crashed into an orchard, a witness told police.

It was not immediately clear why the plane was unable to gain altitude.

Who died in the crash?

Officials said four people aboard the plane and the driver of the vehicle that was struck died, including a 12-year-old boy and his father. A teenage passenger on the plane survived and was taken to the hospital with burns.

Police identified the four people killed on the plane as Drew Kimball, 44, Grahm Kimball, 12, Spencer Lindahl, 43, and Rustin Randall, 48. They were all from Arizona. The name of the driver of the vehicle was not released pending identification, police said.

Family members and friends of the victims shared their memories and posted heartfelt messages on social media on Wednesday.

Community leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chandler, where the families attended church, called for prayer. Officials at the elementary school where Grahm Kimball attended sixth grade provided counselors for the students.

“Our hearts are terribly heavy,” Tanya Kimball wrote on Instagram about her son and husband.

What type of aircraft was it?

The aircraft was a HA-420 HondaJet, described by the manufacturer as a “light business jet”. It has six seats and a range of 1,600 miles with a top speed of 483 miles per hour. The HA-420 jet was the first aircraft developed by HondaJet and made its first flight in 2003, according to industry trade publications.

The aircraft is 46.6 feet long, 14.9 feet tall and has a wingspan of 39.8 feet. It has two wing engines. The aircraft costs approximately $5.8 million new.

HondaJet operates an authorized service center at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. There is a HA-420 for sale on the website. It was built in 2017 at a cost of $3.4 million. It wasn’t the one involved in the crash.

Who owned the plane?

Records show the jet was owned by Ice Man Holdings LLC, a company operated by Lindahl and Rustin. The address is on East McKellips Road at Falcon Field in a long building adjacent to an airport runway.

Officials said the plane was being used for personal purposes. Flight data shows the plane was scheduled to land in Provo, Utah, about two hours after takeoff.

Who is investigating the crash?

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said initial details indicate the plane struck the airport fence and vehicle during an “aborted takeoff.”

The agency will review a range of information and records, including air traffic control communications records, aircraft maintenance records and surveillance videos.

Investigators were expected to document the area and examine the aircraft, which is expected to be taken to a secure facility for further examination.

Officials asked any witnesses or anyone with surveillance video or other information that may be relevant to the investigation to send it to [email protected].

Republican reporters Robert Anglen and Elena Santa Cruz contributed to this article.

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