According to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday January 26, 2014 at approximately 11:48 am, the Sheriff’s Office was advised of a plane crash near Wells Road and Ashcreek Road, 30 miles northwest of Willcox, by a rancher who was out feeding cattle when he observed a white plane with significant damage in one of his pastures.
The man advised that he did not see anyone around the aircraft and there was no blood inside indicating the occupants were injured.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue personnel responded with 10 volunteers from Cochise County along with 4 from Graham County. AZDPS Tucson Ranger responded and located the crash site.
One SAR coordinator and a volunteer was flown to the site to begin a search for the pilot. While searching the area, a Graham County SAR Coordinator driving out to the site found the pilot walking down the road.
The pilot had left the passenger at a house and was walking to another house to call for help. Neither person was injured. They reported that they tried to land in the remote area to camp and go deer hunting but when the landed the landing gear struck a rock hidden in the tall grass. The landing gear, propeller, and wing was damaged.
The subjects walked a few miles then setup camp for the night. At daylight today they continued out of the mountains for help and they estimate that they had hiked approximately 15 miles. The pilot was a 39 year old from Tucson and his 77 year old father also from Tucson.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and the investigation is concluded as an accident.