2 people killed in plane crash at southern Arizona airport

PHOENIX – Two people were killed in a plane crash at a southern Arizona airport on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Two small planes, each carrying two people, collided midair over Marana Regional Airport around 8:25 a.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

One plane landed uneventfully and the other hit the ground near a runway and caught fire, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said, based on preliminary information before its investigators had arrived.

The Marana Police Department confirmed two fatalities in a social media post but did not provide additional details.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash, which was the second fatal Arizona airport incident this month. On Feb. 10, the pilot of a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil was killed in a Scottsdale Airport runway collision.

What aircraft were involved Marana plane crash?

The crash involved a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II, according to the NTSB. Lancair 360 planes were originally marketed as kits that are no longer in production.

Marana Regional Airport, which is owned by the town of Marana, has two intersecting runways but operates without an air traffic control tower.

A multimillion-dollar project was underway to build a tower but delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back construction. Tens of thousands of flights arrive and depart each year from the general aviation airport, which is located about 30 minutes northwest of Tucson on Avra Valley Road.

Other recent U.S. plane crashes

The U.S. aviation industry is reeling from a recent string of deadly disasters.

It started when a commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. That was followed by a medical transportation plane crashing in Philadelphia and a small commuter plane going down in western Alaska.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.