Experimental aircraft crashes in Arizona, killing 1 and seriously injuring another

GILA BEND, Ariz. (AP) — An experimental, homemade aircraft crashed about 70 miles (111 kilometers) southwest of Phoenix, killing one person and seriously injuring another, authorities said.

The aircraft went down at about 9:45 a.m. Sunday near the Gila Bend Municipal Airport with two people aboard, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the aircraft was taking off or landing at the time of the crash.

Sheriff’s officials said one person was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries. Authorities did not release the two people’s names.

The aircraft was an Experimental Amateur Built Air Creation Twin aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement Sunday.

Jack Norris, owner of AZ Aeroservices that sells experimental aircraft kits, told Phoenix TV station KPHO that the Experimental Amateur Built Air Creation Twin is a “motorcycle with wings.”

“You can still buy these in a kit but they are more susceptible to weather patterns and what’s happening and the skill of the pilot might not be anywhere near the same,” Norris said.

NTSB officials were expected to be at the airport Monday and the Federal Aviation Administration was also planning to investigate.