Van's RV-4 N444JT Operated by Filho Aniz Rasslan Crashes Near Phoenix-Mesa-Gateway Airport, Two Killed

ADS-B data reviewed by SkyMeter shows N444JT, a Van's RV-4 operated by Filho Aniz Rasslan, departed the Phoenix-Mesa-Gateway Airport (KIWA) area at 9:14 a.m. local time (16:14 UTC) on August 12, 2026. The aircraft's origin and intended destination were not captured in the ADS-B record. The flight reached a maximum altitude of 8,273 feet MSL and a top ground speed of 167 knots during a tracked session of about 35 minutes.

The recorded track shows a series of heading changes in the vicinity of KIWA, cycling from an initial southeast heading of 126 degrees through south, northwest, and north before settling back toward the southeast. The flight profile was turbulent throughout: the data shows vertical speed swings as steep as 6,120 feet per minute downward and 5,640 feet per minute upward during the first 12 minutes, with altitude oscillating sharply between roughly 6,600 and 8,270 feet. A roughly 25-minute segment beginning around 9:32 a.m. local time shows the aircraft holding between approximately 7,200 and 7,650 feet at a steady 135 knots before renewed altitude fluctuations resumed. The track ends at 9:49 a.m. local time at 7,215 feet MSL, descending at about 120 feet per minute on a heading of 23 degrees, with no destination airport identified in the data.

According to paysonroundup.com, two people were killed in the crash. The full flight can be replayed on SkyMeter.