Jet never got off the ground before it crashed, killing five people in Mesa

Corrections and clarifications: Four people died in the plane crash. The identity of the fifth victim has not been released. The victim information was incorrect in an earlier version of the article and its headline.

A multi-million dollar corporate jet never left the ground before a fiery crash that killed five people Tuesday in Mesa, according to witnesses.

The plane carrying six passengers plowed through a field at the end of a runway at Falcon Field Airport, careened into a fence, slid onto Greenfield Road, hit a vehicle and crashed into an orchard, a witness told police.

Officials said four people aboard the plane and the driver of the vehicle that struck it were killed, including a 12-year-old boy and his father. A teenage passenger on the plane survived and was taken to 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 car has not been released pending identification, police said.

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

Ward leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chandler, where the families attended church, called for prayers. Officials at the elementary school where Grahm Kimball attended sixth grade had counselors available for students.

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

The crash occurred around 4:45 p.m. A preliminary incident report released by the Federal Aviation Administration said the crash was an accident that occurred under “unknown circumstances.” There was a fire after the crash and the plane was destroyed.

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

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

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said early details indicated the plane struck the airport fence and the vehicle during a “rejected takeoff.”

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

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

Officials asked any witnesses or people who have surveillance footage or other information that could be relevant to the investigation to forward it to them [email protected].

The HA-420 HondaJet is described by the manufacturer as a ‘light business aircraft’. It has six seats and a range of 2,600 miles with a top speed of 783 km/h. The HA-420 jet was the first aircraft developed and produced by HondaJet. its first flight in 2003, according to industry journals.

The aircraft is 14.6 meters long, 4.4 meters high and has a wingspan of 13.8 meters. It has two wing-mounted engines. The plane cost about $5.8 million new.

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

Emergency vehicles blocked the street and traffic near the airport was halted for hours. Flames and smoke were visible in the area.

Elena Santa Cruz is a criminal justice reporter for The Republic. Reach her out [email protected]. Follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.

Robert Anglen is an investigative journalist for The Republic. Reach him out [email protected]. Follow him on X @robertanglen.