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CHANDLER, AZ – Many unknowns surround the mid-air collision between a plane and a helicopter in Chandler, which claimed the lives of two people. The family of Mike Papendick, 34, want people to know their loving husband and father.
Papendick is survived by his wife Becca and their 11 month old daughter Aubrey.
Papendick family
“I just want to know what happened in his last moments,” said Becca Papendick, Mike’s wife.
The family recently returned to Phoenix to start a new chapter in their life together. Mike has just left the Navy after seven years of service. He had hoped to turn his passion for aviation into a career.
“He wanted to fly for the police or the EMS, then tour Hawaii and all that fun stuff. He had the adrenaline rush to be in the sky,” says Papendick.
Mike started the Quantum Helicopters flight school program at the end of August. Since then, Becca says he had ridden several times with an instructor. There are, however, many unknowns as to what went wrong on Friday morning.
“From what I understood, he was about to land. They, him and Jess, were about to land. They were almost done with their flight,” says Papendick.
Mike and the instructor died after Chandler fire officials said a fixed-wing plane collided with their helicopter. The plane landed safely near the runway at Chandler Airport; the helicopter crashed and caught fire.
“I didn’t expect to wake up to this news today. I didn’t know, I didn’t know this morning was going to be like this. I didn’t know I was going to say goodbye,” said Papendick.
Becca now relies on his family to support him. They stand by his side, suffering just as much.
“She goes through a unique set of challenges; most people never face them in their entire lives,” says Rachel Lima, Becca’s sister.
Her sister Rachel started an online fundraiser to help during this sudden and unexpected time.
She also tries to cheer Becca up, pointing out the beautiful moments they shared, like the first time they met.
“We were pen pals, but we were colleagues at the beginning. He saw me at the massage school but I didn’t see him, as if we were in the dining room and he recognized me then when I had my interview at Massage Envy, it was like ‘here she is, there she is,’ ”says Becca.
They have been together for almost 5 years. They started a family with Aubrey, almost a year.
Now Becca clings to it as they move forward with Mike in their hearts.
The investigation into the accident is still in its early stages.
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