Those residents also say they are not that surprised that something like this happened. Some who live in the area say air traffic in the area has really increased over the years, with lots of small planes and helicopters fighting for airspace. He was one of a kind and he is a wonderful, wonderful man, and he gave everything he had to everybody," said Lima.
I'm so grateful to have known him for the short period of time that I did, because you don't meet very many people like him. Papendick was remembered for his sense of humor, and the joy he brought to his loved ones. This is something that happens to other people, not you, so when you're faced with that reality for a moment, you know your first reaction is to kind of to deny it, and that's what we did, really, so it was tough when we when we did find out that our suspicions were confirmed," said Lima. "You never think something like this happens to you, you know. Lima said her sister, Rebecca, had a gut feeling that something terrible happened to her husband. Papendick was studying to become an EMS pilot, and only had about 30 hours under his belt. They were about to start trying for baby number two," said Papendick's sister-in-law, Rachel Lima. My heart's broken for my sister right now. He was the sole provider for his family, as well as the proud father of an 11-month-old who will celebrate her first birthday later on in the month. Papendick, a Navy veteran, reportedly started training to become a helicopter pilot weeks ago. Hours after the crash, it has emerged that Pappendick was studying to become a pilot. FOX 10's Justin Lum spoke with Papendick's sister-in-law. The crash, which happened near an airport in Chandler, took the life of two people, including 34-year-old Michael Papendick. Victim's family speaks outĪrizona family devastated after deadly mid-air collision involving helicopter and plane "These people that today, hopefully died doing what they love. We have our stress management people out here to get them help if they need it," said Chandler Police Sgt. Police said the helicopter and plane were operated by two flight schools, Quantum Helicopters and Flight Operations Academy. Chandler Police officials say they are not releasing the identities of those onboard the plane. A flight instructor and a student who were onboard the plane were not hurt.
The plane suffered a damaged landing gear, but the fuselage appeared intact. The plane, identified by FAA officials as a Piper PA-28, was upright on the ground, just off a runway. Both were involved in Dodge City Community College's DC3 Flight Instructor Program, which is based in Kansas but operates in the Chandler airport.įAA officials have identified the helicopter as a Robinson R22. Chandler Police officials have since identified the two people who died as 34-year-old Michael Papendick and 27-year-old Jessica Brandal.īrandal was the flight instructor, while Papendick was a student. It is unclear if they died in the crash or the fire. Fire officials said two people on board the helicopter died. SkyFOX video showed a fire crew using a tarp to cover the helicopter’s burned wreckage in brush. He said he had no information about how the collision happened and was not allowed to speak with the flight instructor or the student pilot.īengoa described his business as “not quite“ a flight school.Authorities say while the plane landed safely, the helicopter crashed and exploded on impact.
Though officials did not allow Bengoa to get close to the plane, he said it appeared from a distance that the plane’s landing gear had been damaged. Richard Bengoa said in an interview that he is the owner of the small Chandler-based aircraft rental company that owns the four-seat plane using mostly for flight training and that the only people aboard were the flight instructor and the student pilot, who authorities said did not need medical attention after the plane landed. The helicopter was a Robinson R22, the FAA said. The landing gear of the plane, a Piper PA-28, was damaged in the collision but it landed safely, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The plane was upright at the airport near a runway and its fuselage appeared intact. News video showed a firefighting crew using a tarp to cover the helicopter’s burned wreckage in brush on what appeared to be a vacant lot or field near the airport’s southern boundary. The collision happened in the city of Chandler near Chandler Municipal Airport, which does not have scheduled commercial air passenger service, said police Sgt. The flight instructor and a student who were aboard the plane landed safely and were not hurt. (AP) - A helicopter and a single-engine plane collided in midair over suburban Phoenix Friday and the two people aboard the copter died after it crashed into a brush field near a municipal airport, officials said.
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