Chandler: Pilot Joe Hatch Survives Night Engine Failure After Medevac Helicopter Guides Emergency Landing

A helicopter pilot who had no obligation to help stayed overhead and guided a failing plane to safety

A hobby pilot flying out of Chandler Municipal Airport lost engine power in the dark on a recent night and was guided to a safe emergency landing by a nearby medevac helicopter pilot who voluntarily stayed with him.

Joe Hatch, a resident with more than 100 flights logged, said he was heading back to Chandler from Ak-Chin Regional Airport in Maricopa on the evening of May 15 when he heard a loud noise from his single-engine plane.

"There was a pop in the engine," Hatch said.

It was just before 9 p.m. The cockpit was vibrating and visibility was poor due to darkness.

"It's running rough. I'm losing altitude at about 300 feet per minute," Hatch told air traffic control. "I don't know if I'm going to make it."

Air Evac pilot steps in

An Air Evac medevac helicopter happened to be in the same airspace when Hatch broadcast his emergency on the tower frequency. The helicopter pilot heard the distress call and chose to remain overhead.

"This is Air Evac 1 right above you. The dark road off your, off behind you now looks like it has power lines, one right underneath you looks OK," the medevac pilot said in air traffic audio obtained by AZFamily.

Hatch said the presence of the helicopter was a critical factor in his survival.

"Terrifying as it was, but it was very comforting to have him overhead, and I'm very glad that he did stay around and stayed overhead," Hatch said. "He had no requirement to stay around. He heard me in trouble on the frequency with the tower and voluntarily stayed around."

Landing in Sun Lakes

The plane came to rest near Hunt Highway and Cooper Road in Sun Lakes, a community in the southeast Valley bordering Chandler. Hatch narrowly avoided power lines, homes, and traffic on the highway.

"I knew I was either going to die, I would be injured severely, or I would walk away," Hatch said. "I remember coming to stop and going, I'm OK. Totally surprised that I was OK."

Gila River police spokesperson Teaya Enos confirmed the emergency landing and reported no injuries, according to the Arizona Republic.

Hatch escaped with only a minor scratch on his forehead. He scrambled from the wreckage and used a handheld radio to signal to the medevac pilot that he was safe.

A pattern of aviation emergencies in Arizona

Hatch's incident was one of two emergency landings reported in Arizona on May 15. A biplane also made an emergency landing near Park Avenue and Bilby Road in Tucson, striking a light pole. The pilot in that incident was unharmed, according to Tucson police.

The Federal Aviation Administration did not have a filed report of the Sun Lakes landing at the time of the Republic's reporting, according to FAA spokesperson Rick Breitenfeldt.

Arizona has seen a stretch of aviation incidents in 2026. The state recorded five fatal aircraft crashes through mid-May, killing 10 people, according to the Arizona Republic. Other recent nonfatal incidents included emergency landings near Superior, central Phoenix, and a precautionary landing by an F-35A fighter jet from Luke Air Force Base.

Hatch has no intention of stopping his flying.

"I like to call it my therapy," Hatch said.

He said he has flown several times since the incident.

"It could happen again, but actually I'm playing the odds because what are the odds of happening twice, right?" he said.