The crash occurred near 7th Street and Missouri Avenue just after 2:37 p.m. on April 12, News.Az reports, citing Fox 10.
According to Phoenix Fire Department, the small water aircraft carried out an emergency landing. Three people on board sustained minor injuries and were able to exit the aircraft before emergency crews arrived.
All individuals involved were evaluated at the scene and refused hospital transport. No one else was injured in the incident.
Captain D.J. Lee said it was remarkable that the aircraft managed to land without striking any vehicles or buildings, noting that 7th Street is typically busy with cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, and is surrounded by nearby restaurants and apartments.
He added that it was fortunate that everyone was able to walk away without serious injuries, and emphasized that given how busy the area is, avoiding further collisions was in itself highly unusual.
Witnesses described the aftermath as a sight to see.
"I’m looking to the right and I’m like ‘Woah is that plane going to crash?’ And I’m looking at it in like slow motion falling," a witness said. "And as it’s falling I’m like — it landed kind of perfectly. So I’m like ‘Woah that is crazy nobody got hurt.’"
Another witness added, "We ran over there- we asked everyone, ‘Is everyone OK?’ Everyone looks perfectly fine. So something just gave me the chills in my body and I’m like I just gotta hug him. So I just hugged him. Then I was like ‘You good?’ Then he was like 'I’m great."
But even before it hit the ground, it was clear something was wrong.
"I’m a pilot, so I’m always curious," another person said. "I saw it and noticed it was a little bit low, and it was kind of turning, and it looked like it was coming down. I looked at my phone on the flight app that I have, and I saw the altitude was like 1,300, and I saw it decrease, decrease til it hit zero."
