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PHOENIX (AP) - A new federal report says pilot error caused a small plane to crash into a mountain on a moonless night two years ago, killing all six people on board.
A man and his three young children died in the November 2011 fiery crash, along with the pilot and an avionics technician. The flight was headed from the Phoenix area to the small town of Safford.
The National Transportation Safety Board report says the pilot inadvertently flew into a 5,000-foot-tall peak in the Superstition Mountains because he failed to maintain a safe direction and altitude.
The NTSB report also says the pilot lacked situational awareness and failed to use air traffic control visual flight rules or altitude warning services.
The report also cited the plane's lack of certain safety equipment.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
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