They Were Practicing Air Show Maneuvers

Two Embry-Riddle flight instructors were lost Saturday when their aircraft collided while they were practicing an aerobatic routine. Both aircraft went down about two miles south of the Yavapai County Fairgrounds (AZ).

Lost were ERAU Chief Flight Instructor Michael Corradi, 55, and instructor Robert Sweginnis, 64. Both men were from Prescott (AZ). They were practicing for October's Prescott Air Show, according to ERAU spokeswoman Gwen Raubolt. "They had been up seven or eight times (in the air on separate occasions) practicing this particular routine –- altogether," she said in an interview with the Prescott Valley Daily Courier.

Witnesses told local law officers that the wing of one aircraft appeared to clip the other.

Raubolt said the accident was a "tragic loss" for ERAU. Of Corradi, she told the Daily Courier, "all the flight instructors fall under him. They take care of the scheduling. They take care of the kind of planes that we are going to train in."

Corradi and Sweginnis were reportedly the best of friends. Both were retired USAF pilots. Both had impeccable credentials.

"They were really great people," said ERAU faculty member Ray Bedard, who teaches flight management systems. "They really cared about the students – absolutely."

Raboult said ERAU plans a memorial service. She also said a remembrance may be scheduled during the air show in October.

FMI: www.erau.edu