Small planes collide midair at airport near Tucson, two deaths reported

(The Center Square) - Two small single-engine planes collided in midair Wednesday morning at Marana Regional Airport near Tucson. 

Two deaths are confirmed, the Marana Police Department, which was on the scene, reported on Facebook. 

The collision between a Lancair and Cessna 172 happened at 8:28 a.m. local time, the National Transportation Safety Board told The Center Square in an emailed statement.

"The preliminary information we have is the aircraft collided while upwind of runway 12. The Cessna landed uneventfully; the Lancair impacted terrain near runway 3, and a post-impact fire ensued," the NTSB said.

In an email to The Center Square, the Federal Aviation Administration described the Marana airport as “an uncontrolled field,” meaning it has no air traffic control tower. Pilots use a “common traffic advisory frequency” to announce their positions to other pilots, the agency said.

Two people were aboard the Lancair, and two people were on the Cessna, the FAA said.

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Both the FAA, which plans to issue a preliminary report as soon as Thursday, and the NTSB declined to comment on injuries or deaths.

The NTSB said it is sending an investigator, who is expected to arrive Thursday morning at the airport. The agency said that after the scene is investigated, the aircraft will be moved to a secure facility for more evaluation.

The NTSB said it will not determine the cause of the accident during the on-scene phase of its investigation, but plans to discuss a probable cause in its final report, expected in one to two years. The agency said it will issue a preliminary report within 30 days. The NTSB asks that witnesses to the accident, including anyone who took a video, to contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov.

The collision is the latest in a series of aviation accidents this year. In Arizona, an on-ground collision Feb. 10 of two private jets resulted in one death and four people injured at Scottsdale Airport.

The largest accidents included the Jan. 29 collision of an American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 deaths.

A Delta Air Lines jet flipped on its back when it landed Monday at Toronto Pearson International Airport. No one died in the Toronto accident, but Delta reported 21 of the 80 people aboard were sent to the hospital. Twenty of those hospitalized have been released.