Two fatal incidents after collision of small aircraft in Arizona
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Synopsis
At least two individuals tragically lost their lives in a midair collision involving two small planes at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona. The incident has raised concerns about aviation safety and follows a series of recent crashes in the US.
Key Takeaways
- Two people confirmed dead in Arizona plane collision.
- Cessna 172S and Lancair 360 MK II involved.
- Collision occurred while flying upwind of runway 12.
- NTSB investigating the accident.
- Recent aviation incidents raise safety concerns.
Los Angeles, Feb 20 (NationPress) Officials confirmed that at least two individuals lost their lives following a midair collision between two small planes at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona. A Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II collided while flying upwind of runway 12 on Wednesday morning, according to initial reports from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The aircraft involved in the incident were identified as a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II, both being single-engine, fixed-wing planes, as stated by the NTSB on X.
The NTSB, which is spearheading the investigation, noted that according to preliminary data, the aircraft collided while upwind of runway 12, one of the two runways at the airport, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
According to the Marana Police Department, both planes were smaller fixed-wing single-engine aircraft.
The police are currently present at the airport scene.
The NTSB added that the Cessna landed safely, while the Lancair crashed into terrain near runway 3, resulting in a post-impact fire.
No details concerning the victims have been disclosed.
This tragic event follows closely on the heels of a recent helicopter collision with an American Airlines passenger flight in Washington DC, resulting in the deaths of all 64 passengers and three crew members.
In the same week, a small medical transport aircraft crashed into several buildings in Philadelphia, leading to the deaths of all six individuals on board and at least one person on the ground.
On Monday, a Delta Air Lines flight in Toronto skidded along a runway engulfed in flames before overturning and coming to a stop upside down. Fortunately, all 80 individuals on board survived.
Earlier, on February 6, a small aircraft carrying ten people crashed in Alaska after losing speed and altitude, vanishing from the radar. The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, which was en route from the village of Unalakleet to the town of Nome, was later recovered, but there were no survivors, as confirmed by the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
On February 10, two private jets collided at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, resulting in one fatality and four injuries.
The series of crashes in the US was subsequently followed by an incident in Canada on Monday, where a Delta Air Lines regional jet carrying 80 individuals crashed and flipped at Toronto Pearson International Airport, injuring nearly two dozen but thankfully no fatalities.
The most recent crash occurs as the US aviation sector has appealed to Congress for emergency funding aimed at improving air traffic control technology and staffing.
