Two killed after small planes collide midair in Arizona

At least two people have died after two small planes collided midair near an airport in Arizona, police said.

A Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II, both fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft, had two passengers each aboard when they collided at Marana Regional Airport, north-west of Tucson, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.

The NTSB, which is leading the investigation into the incident, said on X that based on preliminary information, the aircraft “collided while upwind of runway 12”, which is one of two runways at the airport.

It added that the Cessna “landed uneventfully” while the Lancair “impacted terrain near runway 3 and a post-impact fire ensued.”

No information about the victims was provided.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the two planes collided around 08:25 local time (15:25GMT) on Wednesday.

“Two people were on board the Lancair and two people were on board the Cessna 172,” the statement said.

Marana Regional Airport is an “uncontrolled field”, meaning it does not have an operating air traffic control tower. Pilots often use a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to announce their position to other pilots who are in the airport vicinity.

The deadly collision follows a recent string of aviation related incidents.

Last month a helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger plane in Washington DC, killing all 64 passengers and three crew members.

The same week, a small medical transport plane crashed into several buildings in the US city of Philadelphia, killing all six people on board and at least one other person on the ground.

On Monday, a Delta Air Lines flight in Toronto skidded along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to a dramatic halt upside down. All 80 people on board survived.

The latest crash comes as the US aviation sector on Wednesday called on Congress for emergency funding for air traffic control technology and staffing.