A routine flight turned fatal when two small aircraft collided in mid-air close to Marana Regional Airport, killing the two pilots on Wednesday morning. Authorities confirmed that the accident was between a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II, both single-engine planes.
There were sparse details from local police early Wednesday morning, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiating investigations into what caused the deadly crash. The debris was scattered throughout a remote location near the airport, 21 miles northwest of Tucson.
This devastating accident follows a disturbing string of air crashes throughout North America. Over the last few weeks alone, several crashes have occurred, including a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crash, a fatal medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia, and a small plane tragedy in Alaska. Most recently, a collision of private jets in Scottsdale, Arizona, killed one and injured four.
No authorities have established the cause of mechanical failure, pilot error, or weather as factors in the Marana crash. Witnesses saw both planes airborne mere seconds before they collided, but officials have issued no additional information.
While the NTSB investigates, victim families are left mourning another senseless loss in what has turned into a startling trend of aerial disasters.
