Accelerated Flight Crew Crash in AZ

[azpilot]

I believe this was a plane from Accelerated Flight Crew Training located a Stellar Airpark in Chandler. Word to the wise. There have been many posts about this school and its maintenance practices.


My condolences go out to the families involved.

- AzPilot

Examiner: Plane in fatal crash was unsafe
By Arek Sarkissian II

ARIZONA DAILY STAR
A flight examiner refused to fly in a small plane that crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in Nogales, Ariz., the man said on Sunday.
All three aboard the twin-engine plane were killed in the fiery crash on Saturday near Rio Rico.

Kristen Lass, a flight instructor from Colorado Springs, Colo., was killed along with Michael Kelly of Honolulu and Shawn Reidy of Scottsdale minutes after leaving Nogales International Airport.

The three flew in from Chandler because Kelly was to take a scheduled examination with an FAA official in Nogales.
The flight with examiner Larry Tiffin was canceled because of the condition of the plane, said Richard Lass, Kristen's father.
"That instructor told those kids not to fly in that plane," said Lass in an interview from his home in Woodland Park, Colo.
Tiffin said on Sunday that he refused to fly with Kelly for his instructor's certification in the plane the three had arrived in.
Tiffin said he could not go into details about the condition of the plane, only that he refused to get on board. "For myself, it was in my best interest not to fly in that plane," he said.

Kristen Lass had a long conversation with a mechanic at the airport, but Tiffin said he still didn't feel safe flying in the plane.
After the exam was canceled, the three took off from the airport with Reidy at the controls, Tiffin said.
Minutes later, the plane crashed and burst into flames in a dirt cul-de-sac about 100 feet from an unoccupied home.
Reidy apparently tagged along to help out with some of the flying to and from Chandler.
"It's just to help out with some of the financial burden. The one student doesn't have to pay for all of those hours," Tiffin said.
Lass said his daughter was well on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a commercial pilot. "She was real close, too, and then this happens," he said.

The crash is under investigation. Federal officials could not be reached for comment Sunday. Relatives of Kelly and Reidy could not be located for comment Sunday.

Another related link:
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=813217&nav=14RS8HQv9VFT

 

[WileE]

I know Larry

I got my ATP from Larry. He is a true professional and if he didn't feel safe about the condition of the plane, I trust his judgement completely. Also the Nogales Airport isn't the most forgiving place to fly out of, lots of cumulous granite to run into and very high temps and elevation to start with. Sounds like these people should never have tried flying down there in the first place.

 

[FlyinBrian]

That's sad.

It does sound like Accelerated. I don't know anywhere else in Chandler where three people would rent a poorly maintained light twin to go take a ride from Larry Tiffin in Nogales. I can't confirm that it's acclereated's plane, but it sure seems the likely scenario.

My heartfelt sympathy to the families.

 

[banned username 2]

My Sympathy's go out to the families....

I flew with Larry Tiffin back in 1990, I got my CFI-I from him and did my CFI-I and CFI-ME at his Flight School (Arizona Flight School)... I was wondering where he disappeared to... He offered me a job as a CFI back then but I turned it down... Shortly after I was kicking myself when I got back to the midwest and there were no jobs, but in the long run I think things worked out much better!

 

[Wiggums]

It was Accelerated. Apparently the flight instructor was in the back seat.

 

[clrwman]

Accelerated Flight

If it is them, I'm not surprised, I left that school back in Feb because I didnt feel safe. Kept expecting to hear about them on the news and unfortunately now I have.

 

[bobbysamd]

It's sad

My condolences, too.

Larry Tiffin used to be an examiner in Prescott, Arizona, at least during the late '80s-early '90s. As well as I can remember, he always played it straight and gave people a fair shake. I'd suspect he knew what he was talking about.

 

[azpilot]

It was Accelerated. Apparently the flight instructor was in the back seat.

They are always in the back seat there. Maybe this will be the end of the school. I hate to see people get killed because of shoddy maintenance if that is the case. I am sure it will take a long while to find out the full details. I know one of the pilots got his private lic. in the Apache there. Instuctors are there for an important reason and they can't do a **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** thing from the back seat!

 

[ipilot]

Is larry working with the local FSDO over there? If yes, then how can he let an unairworthy airplane fly infront of him.
Here in FL the school I went to had too many problems with getting the airplane o.k to fly with the FAA initial CFI checkrdies. So many times they had to fix a problem in Orlando with a local mechanic or had to get a ferry permit to fly it back.
Very sorry for the people who were involved in the crash but that tells you the conditions of planes we've in most of the schools.


________________________
Check that its three greens.....

 

[Goffer]

I got my ATP from Larry. He is a true professional and if he didn't feel safe about the condition of the plane, I trust his judgement completely.

I recently received my instrument rating and commercial from Mr. Tiffin these past couple months. I'm sure he strongly discouraged the flight of the A/C back to Chandler. We morn the loss of fellow pilots, but poor judgement is not an excuse. Advice from a man of his knowledge should not be taken lightly.