Two people are dead after two small planes collided midair at an Arizona airport on Wednesday 19 February, as reported by authorities.
According to information from the National Transportation Safety Board, the planes collided at 8:28 a.m. near the Marana Regional Airport, which is just northwest of Tucson.
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The planes collided on Wednesday morning
A Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II ‘collided while upwind of runway 12’, which is one of two runways at the airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the Cessna managed to land, while the Lancair crashed and burned near the other runway.
Two deaths were confirmed
The Marana Police Department confirmed two deaths following the collision of the two single-engine planes and the crash of one.
In a news release, the Town of Marana said there were two people on board each plane.
Pilots on the Cessna were not injured
AeroGuard, a commercial flight training school and the operator of the Cessna aircraft, said that the two pilots aboard its plane were not injured, as reported by the Associated Press.
The airport is temporarily closed for the investigation of the collision and crash.
The airport Superintendent gave a statement
Airport Superintendent Galen Beem said of the incident, “On behalf of the Town of Marana and the Marana Regional Airport, our hearts go out to all the individuals and families impacted by this event.”
“We are grateful for the swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.”
AeroGuard also spoke to the Associated Press, with Matt Panichas, a spokesperson for commercial pilot school, saying in a statement, “We are deeply saddened by the two fatalities from this tragic accident.”
The airport operates with no air traffic control tower
Marana Regional Airport does not have an operating air traffic control tower, with the Federal Aviation Administration calling it an “uncontrolled field”. Instead, pilots will often use a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to communicate with other pilots within the airport vicinity about their positions.
The pilot-in-command is the one responsible for keeping a safe distance from other aircrafts in the vicinity, with the requirement to comply with FAA Regulations still standing.
Marana is set to eventually receive a tower
According to The Independent, the airport is set to eventually receive a traffic control tower, being enrolled in the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control Tower Program.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident, with the latter leading the investigation. The airport is temporarily closed while the investigation is ongoing.
This comes in a series of aviation incidents
This collision comes after a series of aviation incidents that took place in different US cities, starting with the midair collision of a military helicopter and an American Airlines commercial plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on 29 January which killed 67 people.
Four other incidents have taken place since
Since the collision on 29 January, four other aviation incidents have taken place, with a medevac plane crashing in a Philadelphia neighborhood; a plane crash near Nome Alaska; a private plane moving off the runway in Scottsdale, Arizona; and more recently, a Delta Airlines regional jet rolling upside down on arrival in Toronto.
The series of incidents have brought up concern and attention regarding air safety.
