The embedded video at this link mentions a reported mechanical difficulty.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loc ... e3e276aff9The pilot was identified Wednesday afternoon as Gilbert resident Jesse R. Goodwin, 43, an American Airlines pilot. His 18-year-old passenger was Ataberk Besler, an exchange student in the AFS-USA program from Canakkale, Turkey.
They were aboard the single-engine AT-6 when it crashed at the airport near Higley and McKellips roads.
First responders were called to the scene at about 6:30 p.m. on reports of a small plane that had crashed and burned during takeoff, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration.
A dust storm moved through the area Tuesday evening, but authorities said it was unclear if weather was a factor in the crash.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, Gregor said.
MORE: Small plane crashes at Mesa's Falcon Field; 2 dead
Goodwin was a first officer, or co-pilot, at American who also frequently flew vintage planes.
"First Officer Jesse Goodwin was part of the American Airlines family and we are saddened by this loss," Polly Tracey, an airline spokeswoman, said to The Republic. "All of us at American extend our condolences to his loved ones."
Joshua Ledlow, a director of a historical documentary titled Patriot Skies, took to Facebook on Wednesday to share his memories of recently taking photos of Goodwin flying over Canyon Lake in a Stearman Biplane, a craft used as a military trainer in the 1930s and 1940s.
"The day I took these photos I discovered more than airplanes," Ledlow wrote, describing Goodwin as "one hell of a pilot and even better person."
"These guys had the life. Blue skies and sunshine for days. My passion for film making and their passion to fly made something magical that day … a day I will never forget. Today our hearts are broken as we have lost one of our own ... my heart goes out to his family, friends and the entire aviation community at Falcon Field. We will continue to tell our story in your memory …"
Ledlow wrote that he also had flown with Daniel Cordon and pilot brothers Brian and Dale Churchill, all Mesa residents who are registered to the aircraft involved in the crash. Cordon, a member of the Wings of Flight Foundation — a group of riders based at Falcon Field — was interviewed by the FAA on Wednesday morning at the airport hangar.
Planes were taking off and landing again at the field Wednesday morning.
Corinne Nystrom, airport director at Falcon Field, said, "There's camaraderie in the love of aviation. It gets everyone through a lot."
She said the familial relationship was not unique to Falcon Field but existed among all who shared a love and passion for aviation.
Dick Stich, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and member of the Falcon Warbirds — a group also based at the Mesa airport — said those in the close-knit Falcon Field community were shocked at the news of the crash.
"It is very, very, very, very rare for accidents involving these planes," Stich said, vouching for the AT-6 reliability. "These airplanes are maintained especially well and these accidents don't happen often."
"I'm sick to my stomach that we lost guys from the field," Stich said. "We're all friends and comrades."
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