An extraordinary young man is lost in a flight training tragedy

Matt Anderson was 16 when he decided to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. Matt and his father Tuck Anderson, an airline captain for Federal Express, worked out a plan for Matt to achieve his dream within a few years.

Matt hit the books, took extra courses and graduated from high school early – all the while serving on the student council and working part-time at an Albertson’s store in a Phoenix, Arizona, suburb.

At just 17, Matt entered a university flight training program that is sponsored by a major airline. The program would certify him to become an airline pilot by the time he was 19 and award him a college degree.

Everything seemed on track until a routine training flight crashed into a mountain near Sedona in April 2003. Not only were Matt’s dreams shattered, but also the hearts of his father, mother Lisa, three brothers, friends, teachers and everyone who knew him.

Crashed on Takeoff

“On the flight, Matt, a second student pilot and their flight instructor had stopped for breakfast in Sedona, on a mesa in the low mountains northeast of Phoenix. On takeoff, the airplane didn’t develop enough power, causing it to crash off the end of the runway,” said Rusty Allman, who represented the Andersons. All three occupants were killed.

“Within a few months after the crash, the airline and university settled the case equitably without putting Matt’s family through lengthy litigation,” Allman said.

Soaring Tributes

Matt was so highly regarded that pilots from Federal Express and Southwest Airlines dedicated photos of their airplanes to the university flight program as memorials to Matt.

“A Southwest pilot who bought his groceries at the store where Matt worked was so impressed by the young man, he and his fellow pilots donated the photos to honor him,” Allman said, emphasizing that Southwest Airlines was not involved in this crash or the resulting case.

“In addition, Matt’s employers and teachers sought us out to tell us what an exemplary young man he was. I wish I could have had the honor of meeting him,” Allman said.