A midair collision involving two small aircraft in southern Arizona killed at least two people on Wednesday, February 19, authorities said.
A Cessna 172S and Lancair 360 MK II collided at 8:28 a.m. near the Marana Regional Airport, just northwest of Tucson, according to preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The fixed-wing single-engine planes “collided while upwind of runway 12,” one of two runways at the airport. The Cessna landed “uneventfully” and the Lancair impacted terrain near the other runway and “a post-impact fire ensured,” the NTSB said.
“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,” airport Superintendent Galen Beem said. “This is an unprecedented event, and we are grateful for the swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.”
The Federal Aviation Administration called the airport an “uncontrolled field,” which does not have an operating air traffic control tower. Pilots often will use a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to announce their position to other pilots who are in the airport vicinity. Pilots operating in uncontrolled fields are still required to comply with all federal aviation regulations.
An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive Thursday morning to document the scene and examine the aircraft. The FAA is also responding.
The incident follows a recent string of aviation incidents beginning with the January 29 midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people when a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet collided.
Since then, four other aviation incidents have drawn attention to air safety, including the crash of a medevac plane in Philadelphia; a plane that crashed near Nome, Alaska, killing 10 people; a private plane that ran off the runway in Scottsdale, Arizona, killing the pilot on board; and more recently, a Delta Air Lines regional jet that rolled over on the runway on arrival in Toronto.
