Pilot dies in Prescott Valley crash on deadly day for AZ aviation

A single-engine plane that crashed north of Prescott Valley earlier this week, killing its pilot, was flying from Southern California to Prescott when it went down, according to federal aviation officials.The Federal Aviation Administration said a Socata TB21 crashed near Prescott around 8 p.m. on Feb. 4 and that only the pilot was on board. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with assistance from the FAA.Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of a downed plane in Prescott Valley, near Poquito Valley Road, the Sheriff's Office said.With the assistance of Native Air, authorities located the wreckage in an open field, the Sheriff’s Office said. The pilot, identified only as a 64-year-old man, was the sole occupant of the aircraft and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff's Office.Flight tracking data showed the plane departed from Santa Ana, California, and was headed to Prescott Regional Airport before the crash. The data does not indicate what caused the plane to go down.The plane was headed to Prescott Regional Airport, which serves general aviation traffic and commercial flights to Phoenix, according to FlightRadar24, a public aviation tracker.Investigators have not released information about what led up to the crash or the name of the victim.The Socata TB21 Trinidad is a single-engine, four-seat aircraft commonly used for personal and cross-country flights, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.The crash occurred the same night as another serious aviation incident in Arizona, when a Department of Public Safety helicopter assisting police during an active shooter situation crashed in Flagstaff, killing two people on board.Feb. 4 marked the deadliest day in Arizona aviation in over a month, after an early January helicopter crash in Superior that killed four members of one family.This is a developing story, check back to azcentral.com for more details.Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Prescott Valley plane crash adds to deadly AZ aviation day