PHOENIX (AP) – The pilot of a burning plane radioed into the tower to say, “fire on the wing, fire in the airplane,” moments before he bailed out of the aircraft in a parachute and it plunged into a suburban Phoenix home.
The harrowing scene unfolded Saturday during what was supposed to be a thrilling pyrotechnic skydive jump at a town fair.
But at some point, the single-engine Cessna carrying the skydivers caught fire. The skydivers jumped and landed at their intended spot while the pilot remained at the controls of the doomed aircraft.
“I’m having an emergency situation,” he said.
The tower operator asked him if he was able to land at nearby airports in Chandler and Mesa. No one responded until a Southwest Airlines pilot informed the tower: “That plane went down.”