Two people were killed Wednesday when two small single-engine private planes collided mid-air at an Arizona airport.
A Lancair 360 MK II and a Cessna 172S collided at about 8:30 a.m. local time at the Marana Regional Airport, an uncontrolled airfield northwest of Tucson.
Details about what led to the crash were not immediately available. Both aircraft had two passengers apiece, according to the FAA.
Uncontrolled airfields do not have operational air traffic control towers. Pilots are required to communicate their positions to nearby pilots using a common traffic advisory frequency.
Police responded to the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board will open an investigation.
The FAA issued the following statement: “A Lancair collided in midair with a Cessna 172 at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona around 8:25 a.m. local time on Wednesday, February 19. Marana Regional Airport is an uncontrolled field. Two people were on board the Lancair and two people were on board the Cessna 172. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.”
The collision follows recent air disasters involving commercial aircraft, including this week’s crash-landing at a Toronto airport, a fatal air ambulance crash in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, and the midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial airplane in Washington, DC.
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