Pilot and Passengers Speak Out Following Emergency Plane Landing on Phoenix Street
A veteran pilot with more than four decades of flying experience safely landed a 1940s-era amphibious airplane on a busy Phoenix street on April 12 after losing engine power at roughly 2,500 feet. All three people on board walked away without serious injuries.
Mike Tragarz had departed Hangar Hacienda, a private runway in Laveen, Arizona, for a joy ride over the Phoenix Valley when the engine on his Republic RC-3 Seabee quit less than 20 minutes into the flight. What followed was a forced landing on 7th Street near Camelback Road — one of the busiest corridors in central Phoenix.
Engine Loss at 2,500 Feet Forced Split-Second Decision
Tragarz told KNXV he was attempting to contact air traffic control when the situation deteriorated.
“I was just dialing in Sky Harbor frequency to declare the emergency, and that’s when we started losing power,” he said.
“I was about to call for a mayday to Sky Harbor to try to make it to Sky Harbor, and that’s when I noticed we were not holding altitude. We were descending. We had lost power.”
With three people on board and dense urban Phoenix below, Tragarz shifted immediately from communicating to flying.
“I just stopped everything and said to these guys, ‘We’re going to land, we’re going down. I’ve got to find a place to land,’” he recalled to KNXV.
Pilot Chose 7th Street as Emergency Landing Site
Scanning the ground from a rapidly descending aircraft, Tragarz identified a clear stretch of 7th Street near Camelback Road.
“I looked down there and saw 7th Street, and it was clear,” he said. “And I said, ‘Well, that’s where we’re going.’”
Phoenix Fire Captain DJ Lee called the outcome “100 percent a miracle,” telling Arizona’s Family, “This is a very busy street. It’s always busy, but for whatever reason, when he crashed in this little area, all of the traffic was away.”
Last-Moment Wing Dip Avoided Street Sign
Passenger Hanan Haskell described a critical input in the final seconds to 12News: “At the last moment, he dipped his wing to not hit the street sign, which was amazing.”
Security footage captured the aftermath — a car passing through the scene and the Seabee sliding down the street in the opposite direction before striking a water main and coming to a stop. A fire hydrant was damaged and roads in the area were temporarily closed.
Another passenger told KNXV: “He saved us. He made the right decision at the right time. Everything was just perfect.”
The Aircraft: A Rare 1940s Amphibian
The Republic RC-3 Seabee is a 1940s-era amphibious plane designed to operate from both water and traditional runways. Tragarz reported minimal damage to the aircraft, telling KNXV, “The only thing we have damaged here are the seats.”
Federal Investigation Underway Into Engine Failure
Investigators say the plane likely went down due to engine trouble, and a federal investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.
Tragarz credited his years in the cockpit. “Experience does pay off. I have to say that,” he told KNXV.
He added: “Every landing you can walk away from is a good one. And yeah, it wasn’t smooth, it wasn’t pretty, but yeah, we’re very fortunate.”
Bystander Carol Sperr, who was nearby on the sidewalk, described what she saw: “You’re shocked, thinking what’s going on. I was driving my wheelchair on the sidewalk, and I got to the German Auto, and I saw an airplane coming four feet above my head.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
