Pilot is trapped in crashed plane for most of day in Arizona.
Rutan VariEze similar to accident aircraft. (Photo by Adrian Pingstone)
A plane crashed south of Laveen, Arizona today (March 17, 2010) trapping the pilot inside the aircraft for hours while rescuers searched for the wreckage. The pilot was the sole occupant aboard the Rutan VariEze (registration N50894) as it went down at 8:55 AM local time.
According to reports, the pilot radioed the Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU) tower and informed them that his airplane had lost power and that he was attempting an emergency landing 25 miles to the southeast. Search and rescue teams searched all day for the wreckage, but it wasn’t until 5:00 PM when a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) team discovered the crash site near 51st Ave and Santa Cruz road south of Laveen and on the west side of the Gila River Indian Community Reservation.
The airplane, a 1978 VariEze, is registered to the accident pilot, Charles T. Blanchette. The pilot was trapped below the fuselage for most of the day (in the desert). Some reports say his injuries are serious.
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