It was his split-second decision making that likely saved dozens of people on the ground as well as his passenger on board.
Joshua Merrill’s family spoke for the first time to ABC15 about the crash that claimed his life back on May 7.
"He soloed at 16 and got his private pilot's license at 17,’ said Al Merrill, Joshua’s father, also a long-time commercial pilot.
Al says flying was in the family's blood.
'I taught him, if he ever did, when he was flying, to always look for a place to land. You never know when something is going to happen,” said Merrill.
Joshua was a third generation pilot. On May 7, the C-35 he was piloting lost power and crashed in a Surprise neighborhood.
He was killed, but his passenger, Michael Fox, survived.
Related: Plane crash survivor's family speaks to ABC15
While Joshua flew planes, he preferred to work on them. He was a mechanic by trade and enjoyed being hands on.
His family said he was meticulous and detailed. That's just who he was.
“I'm going to miss being able to talk to him about literally anything,” his father said.
Al said investigators told him they are inspecting throttle components of the plane to try and piece together what happened that may have caused the crash.
The official caused is still under investigation.
