**Midair Collision Involving Two Small Planes at Marana Airport in Arizona on Wednesday Morning**
Two small single-engine aircraft were involved in a midair collision Wednesday morning at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona, according to officials. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that a Lancair 360 MK II and a Cessna 172S collided just before 8:30 a.m. local time at the uncontrolled airport, which lacks an active air traffic control tower.
Known as a training ground for pilots, Marana Airport is one of approximately 20,000 non-towered airports across the United States. At these facilities, pilots communicate their positions to one another using a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency. As emergency responders rushed to the scene, one of the aircraft appeared to remain mostly intact.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicated that the two planes collided while they were “upwind of runway 12,” one of the airport’s two runways. The Cessna failed to land successfully, while the Lancair “impacted terrain near runway 3, resulting in a post-impact fire.” Each aircraft was carrying two passengers. Tragically, the crash resulted in the deaths of two individuals aboard the same plane.
Marana Regional Airport Superintendent Galen Beem expressed condolences in a statement: “On behalf of the Town of Marana and the Marana Regional Airport, our hearts go out to all individuals and families affected by this event. This is an unprecedented tragedy, and we are thankful for the swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.”
This accident comes amid a series of recent plane crashes, including a devastating collision over Reagan International Airport last month that resulted in the deaths of 67 people when a commercial airliner collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. Additionally, another crash involving a medical jet claimed the lives of all passengers, including a young girl returning to Mexico following life-saving surgery in Philadelphia.
Just days before the Marana incident, a plane flipped upside down while landing in Toronto; fortunately, there were no casualties in that event.
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