It happened in an instant. One moment, a sleek HondaJet HA-420 was barreling down Runway 22L at Falcon Field; the next, it was a fireball on a public road. Honestly, when the news first broke about the Mesa Arizona plane crash on November 5, 2024, it felt like a freak accident. But as the NTSB investigators started digging into the telemetry and the wreckage, the story became a lot more complicated. It wasn’t just a "crash." It was a high-speed rejected takeoff that went horribly wrong.
Five people lost their lives that Tuesday afternoon.
The jet, registered as N57HP and operated by Ice Man Holdings, was supposed to be a quick, fun trip. A group of friends and a 12-year-old boy were heading to Provo, Utah, for a college basketball game. They didn't even pack bags. They were planning to be back in Mesa by 10:00 PM. Instead, the plane overshot the runway, smashed through the airport's metal perimeter fence, and collided with a car driving along Greenfield Road.
The Aborted Takeoff: A Seconds-Long Disaster
The biggest question everyone keeps asking is: why didn't they stop?
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The data tells a chilling story. According to the NTSB preliminary report, the HondaJet accelerated normally. It hit 133 knots (about 153 mph). That is fast. For this specific aircraft, that speed is actually past what pilots call V1—the "commit to fly" speed. Basically, once you pass V1, you’re usually better off taking the problem into the air than trying to stop on the remaining pavement.
But for some reason, the pilot chose to abort.
The jet began to decelerate about 3,300 feet down the 5,100-foot runway. That sounds like a lot of room, right? It isn't. Not when you're doing 150 mph in a jet. The plane stayed on the runway centerline, but it just wouldn't quit. It was still doing 71 knots (81 mph) when it hit the fence.
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What the NTSB Found (And Didn't Find)
- No Engine Failure: The G3000 avionics recorded the engine data. There were no "bangs," no flames, and no system warnings before the abort.
- Brakes Were Fine: Investigators checked the anti-skid system and the brake pads. Everything looked normal.
- The Gust Lock: This is a big one. Pilots use a "gust lock" to keep the controls from flapping in the wind while parked. If you leave it in, you can't fly. However, the NTSB found the lock "uninstalled" in the wreckage.
- The Survivor: One passenger, remarkably, walked away. Despite the fuselage fracturing and a massive post-impact fire, he escaped with relatively minor injuries.
The Human Toll on Greenfield Road
We often talk about the people inside the plane, but this tragedy had a second, equally horrific side. Ray Longhi, a 67-year-old Mesa resident, was just driving his car. He was on Greenfield Road, probably thinking about dinner or his evening plans, when a multi-million dollar jet came through a fence and landed on his vehicle.
He died at the scene.
Inside the plane, the loss was just as heavy. The victims were identified as Spencer Lindahl (43), Rustin Randall (48), Drew Kimball (44), and his son, Graham Kimball (12). These weren't just names on a manifest; they were local business owners, fathers, and a kid who just wanted to see a basketball game.
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Why Mesa Arizona Plane Crash Investigations Take So Long
If you're waiting for a "final" answer, you'll be waiting a while. The NTSB usually takes 12 to 24 months to issue a final report. They have to look at everything from the pilot's "human factors" (sleep, health, stress) to the exact friction coefficient of the runway that day.
There's a lot of chatter in the aviation community about "high-speed rejects." Some experts wonder if there was a perceived tire failure or a bird strike that didn't leave an obvious mark. Others look at the 5,101-foot runway at Falcon Field. While that's plenty for a HondaJet under normal conditions, it leaves almost zero margin for error if you decide to stop after you've already reached rotation speed.
Lessons Learned and Safety Realities
You've gotta wonder if things would be different if Falcon Field had an EMAS (Engineered Material Arresting System). You know, those blocks of "squishy" concrete at the end of runways at big airports like Sky Harbor? They’re designed to catch a plane like a net. Falcon Field doesn't have one. Most small municipal airports don't because they're incredibly expensive to install and maintain.
If you fly private or live near a municipal airport, here is the reality of what this investigation teaches us:
- V1 is a Hard Line: In pilot training, the "Go/No-Go" decision is drilled into your brain. Aborting after V1 is almost always a recipe for a runway overrun.
- Runway Safety Margins: Just because a plane can land on a 5,000-foot strip doesn't mean it should do it at max weight on a hot day without considering the "what-ifs."
- The "Friend" Factor: The NTSB noted a friend helped them load the plane. Sometimes, social pressure or the excitement of a group trip can subtly influence a pilot's decision-making process.
To stay updated on the final findings, you should monitor the NTSB's official CAROL database using the accident number WPR25FA031. This will eventually contain the full factual record, including cockpit voice recordings if they were recoverable. For now, the Mesa community continues to mourn a tragedy that turned a Tuesday commute and a father-son outing into a permanent nightmare.