Two people are dead following an airplane crash at Marana Regional Airport in Marana, Arizona.
A Lancair and Cessna 172 collided mid-air around 8:25 a.m. in an uncontrolled field, meaning an airport without an operating air traffic control tower. Two people were on board each of the small fixed wing single engine aircraft when they crashed upwind.
The Cessna landed without issue, while the Lancair slammed into terrain near an airport runway and ignited. Police have not yet released details about the victims. Neither of the aircraft were based out of the airport, located 15 miles northwest of Tucson in Pima County.
“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,” said Airport Superintendent Galen Beem in a written statement.
“This is an unprecedented event, and we are grateful for the swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.”
The airport is temporarily closed as an investigation ensues.
In uncontrolled fields, pilots use a traffic advisory frequency to announce their position to other pilots in the area. The pilot-in-command is responsible for maintaining safe separation from other aircraft.
Additionally, pilots are required to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, including minimum visibilities, minimum safety altitudes and right-of-way rules.
Marana is currently enrolled in the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower Program, which would later allow for the implementation of an airport control tower.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are probing the incident, with the NTSB leading the investigation, a spokesperson said, adding an investigator is due to arrive Thursday morning.
US cities have experienced a series of fatal aviation accidents within the last month. Most recently in Arizona, a pilot identified as 78-year-old Joie Vitosky died in a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil. The plane veered off a Scottsdale runway and hit a business jet.
In late January, an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle regional jet collided over the Potomac River near Washington D.C., killing all 67 people on both aircraft. There were 64 passengers and crew on board the commercial flight and three soldiers in the helicopter.
Two days later, a medevac jet crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood killing all six people on board and a man who was in his car when the plane struck. The aircraft had been transporting an 11-year-old girl and her mother after the child received treatment at a city hospital.
The mother and daughter were on their way home to Mexico.
The Marana crash comes two days after a Delta Airlines plane slid into Toronto Pearson International Airport, causing the plane to turn over. Everyone on board survived the incident. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
