FlightFollowerOne Dead After SOCATA TB21 Crashes Near Prescott Regional Airport
Accident facts and aircraft context
On 4 February 2026, SOCATA TB21 Trinidad TC N967WM crashed near Prescott, Arizona, during the approach to Prescott Regional Airport.
The sole occupant was fatally injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
The NTSB preliminary record had not established a final probable cause.
Purpose of the flight
Private cross-country flight.
Flight sequence and key events
The sole occupant, pilot Cameron Cam English, 64, was fatally injured when the aircraft crashed roughly three miles northeast of the approach end of runway 21L.
ADS-B tracking data show the aircraft cruising near 11,500 feet as it approached the airport.
At 19:49, the pilot was cleared to land on runway 21L while about three nautical miles out.
During the turn from base to final, the aircraft rapidly lost roughly 800 feet of altitude while simultaneously gaining about 58 knots of airspeed — all within a span of 16 seconds.
The wreckage came to rest inverted in upward-sloping pasture at around 4,900 feet elevation, near Poquito Valley, north of Prescott Valley in Yavapai County.
That combination — rapid altitude loss paired with a rapid airspeed increase during a turn to final — is consistent with a steep, uncontrolled descent rather than a controlled approach.
It's the kind of energy-state mismatch that can develop quickly in a base-to-final turn if a pilot loses track of bank angle, airspeed, or both at the same time, though the specific sequence that produced it here hasn't been established.
Investigation findings
The NTSB's preliminary report documents the flight path, the landing clearance, and the rapid descent that followed, but a final probable-cause determination hasn't been released.
The investigation continues to examine what happened during that turn — the aircraft's energy state, any contributing environmental factors, and the roughly 16 seconds in which a routine approach became an unrecoverable one.
The French BEA records a fatal Socata TB21 N967WM accident near Prescott on 4 February 2026. The aircraft departed John Wayne Airport for Prescott and disappeared from radar on final approach about 2.5 miles north of the airport; wreckage was located about 2 miles north. One person died and the aircraft was destroyed. The U.S. NTSB is the responsible investigation authority and final cause was not yet established.
How the event developed
The aircraft lost about 800 feet and gained about 58 knots in 16 seconds during the base-to-final turn. The rapid change in energy state preceded the impact, but the final cause was still under investigation.
What the record establishes
No final probable cause has been established in the preliminary NTSB record.
What the evidence shows
The aircraft’s rapid altitude loss and airspeed increase during the base-to-final turn are documented. The NTSB had not yet determined what caused that change in energy state, so the final cause remains open.
- Incident date
- 4 February 2026
- Aircraft / registration
- SOCATA TB21 Trinidad TC — N967WM
- Investigation status
- BEA notification / NTSB investigation