US, Honda HA-420 business jet crashes in California: 5 victims

HA-420 HondaJet N57HP

The people on board the HA-420 HondaJet business jet, registration N57HP, were unable to escape when it crashed through the fence of Mesa-Falcon Field Airport, Maricopa County, Arizona, late yesterday afternoon, after aborting take-off, and into the air poured. crashed into a vehicle traveling on nearby North Greenfield Road and burst into flames, aided by the full tank of fuel.

It appears the aircraft accelerated to about 133 knots on the ground before terminating its takeoff at about 3,400 feet along the runway. The pilot was unable to stop the plane, which actually broke through the fence first and then crashed into the car. The writer recalls a similar incident that took place several years ago at Rome’s Urbe Airport, which involved a van parked outside the perimeter fence being destroyed by the uncontrolled rush of a plane that veered off the runway.

As then, in this case, it appears that the airport’s runway, “5,101 x 100 feet, paved and in good condition,” is not to blame, authorities explained. Needless to say, investigations are underway to determine the causes of a tragedy that has claimed five victims (it is not yet clear how many are on board and how many are on the ground).

The HA-420 HondaJet is the first aircraft made by Honda Motor Company. This light business aircraft was developed and built at a facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofans, seats 5-6 people on board and made its maiden flight on December 3, 2003.