Olayiwola Matthew
At least two people have died after two small aircraft collided midair near Marana Regional Airport on Wednesday morning, according to authorities.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II crashed at 8:28 a.m. local time while “upwind of runway 12,” one of the airport’s two runways.
While the Cessna managed to land “uneventfully,” the Lancair crashed near the other runway, where “a post-impact fire ensued,” the NTSB said.
Emergency responders, including the Marana Police Department, arrived at the scene and confirmed at least two fatalities.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) described the airport as an “uncontrolled field” with no operating air traffic control tower. Pilots in such areas rely on a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to communicate their positions, though they must still adhere to federal aviation regulations.
NTSB officials are expected to arrive at the site on Thursday morning to investigate, while the FAA is also conducting its own inquiry.
The collision is the latest in a series of recent aviation incidents. On January 29, a midair crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport claimed 67 lives when a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet collided.
Since then, several other accidents have raised concerns about air safety, including a medevac plane crash in Philadelphia, a fatal crash near Nome, Alaska, and a private plane that ran off a runway in Scottsdale, killing the pilot.