The U.S. District Court for Arizona has filed criminal charges, including involuntary manslaughter, against the pilot in a January 2019 airplane crash that took the life of a Prescott Valley woman.

Heidi Sue Dowland died after her plane, flown by her boyfriend, went down shortly after leaving the Kingman airport. Her sister reported her missing when the couple did not arrive at their destination, and the local Sheriff’s Office located the craft in a ravine about ten miles south of the airport.

The pilot was injured, and told first responders the plane had experienced an electrical failure and lost power. He said they had just filled up with fuel prior to taking off, but first responders did not note the presence of any fuel on scene, and neither of the plane’s tanks had their cap on. Examination showed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures, and National Transportation Safety Board investigators determined the pilot likely failed to secure the fuel caps, leading to the fuel being siphoned overboard after takeoff.

The pilot declined to speak with investigators; and according to FAA records he was only on a student certificate, and was prohibited from carrying passengers. He also failed to disclose that he had diabetes and uses an insulin pump, which would also have disqualified him from legally acting as pilot-in-command. A blood test taken after the crash showed he had abnormally high levels of blood glucose at the time.

According to the Utah Highway Patrol, the suspect was stopped for a traffic violation in Southern Utah on January 7th; and following the stop, the trooper was informed the man had a warrant out for his arrest, so he stopped the vehicle again and arrested the suspect without incident.

The suspect was also charged with registration violations, as the plane’s registration had been suspended because it was not renewed after Dowland purchased the craft.

Josh Freeman | KAZM News Director | josh@mellowmountainradio.com