POSTED: 5:19 am PDT May 12, 2007 UPDATED: 6:54 am PDT May 13, 2007

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PHOENIX -- The pilot of a small plane that crashed into a lake northwest of Phoenix Friday night was apparently talking on a cell phone with a friend in a boat while flying only 10 feet above the water, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

WATCH: Boater Don Brown Witnesses Plane, Hears Crash

The pilot asked the friend in the boat to shine a flashlight into the air so he could identify the correct boat, then crashed into the lake right in front of his friend, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said Saturday.

"He saw the aircraft making a very sharp bank over the top of him and he said the right wingtip hit the water," Gregor added.

FAA regulations require that a fixed-wing aircraft be at least 500 feet above the water if there are boats around, according to Gregor.

The plane broke up on impact and there were no survivors. Maricopa County sheriff's deputies resumed a search for the sunken wreckage Saturday and spotted what is believed to be the fuselage at about noon using sonar in water that ranges from 70 to 120 feet deep, Lt. Paul Chagolla said.

Chagolla said two people were believed to be on board the plane. Their identities were not released.

Once the debris field is plotted, divers will descend to the wreck and try to recover it and the bodies, Chagolla said.

"The process is slow because the lake is dark water -- we use the sonar to go and locate the large items, and then we send divers down to feel around and try to bring them up," Chagolla said.

The recovery effort was stopped at nightfall Saturday with only a few portions of the plane found so far and no bodies, authorities said.

The lake was still open to boaters and divers likely will not resume the recovery mission until Monday, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The plane was a single-engine Diamond Star 40 that was rented Friday evening from the Southwest Flight Center in Scottsdale, said Gary Lewin, the company president. The aircraft can seat four people, including the pilot.

The pilot who rented the plane was rated to fly commercial aircraft, formerly flew professionally and had extensive flight hours, Lewin said. He said the pilot frequently would take a passenger with him on his flights, although he didn't know if that was the case Friday.

The sheriff's office responded to a 911 call about 8:30 p.m. after several witnesses reported seeing a low-flying plane hit the water at Lake Pleasant, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, Chagolla said.

"The plane was about 10 to 20 feet off the water with no lights on," boater Don Brown told CBS 5 News. "Then we hear this crash. No explosion, just a loud thud."

Deputies found an estimated 100-yard field of debris in the water when they arrived. Five divers from the sheriff's office were on the scene Saturday.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the crash. Copyright 2007 by KPHO.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Submitted on 05/13/2007

Submitted by: Mark Weber
Reference: http://www.kpho.com/news/13308060/detail.html

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Thanks for submitting additional information on this breaking story. Initially I really liked it, but now there's evidence of a possible bystander being killed. Whether or not the other passenger was a willing participant in this ill-conceived aerial stunt is as yet unknown. I will let Darwin make the final decision here!

Shadow said:
Definitely Toss: Bystanders Hurt
Looking for bodies of passengers to me means that bystanders were hurt... so i say toss. thanks for submitting!

Graham said:
Definitely Toss: Bystanders Hurt
We'll have to wait and see if passengers were hurt in this insane stunt. If so, it will be automatically disqualified. Thanks, Mark.

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Since the possibility of a second person on board is speculative at this time, I lean towards a DA for this one. Here is a link about the crash from a different perspective: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/89595 The fact that the pilot had over 10,000 hours of flying and held the highest pilot rating available shows the real level of stupidity in all this. I vote Darwin. If it proves out that there was a passenger who was not part of this ill-advised stunt, then Darwin herself can ove-rule us. Thanks for sending this, Mark

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