Two small planes collided in the air at Marana Regional Airport near Tucson, Arizona, at about 8:25 a.m. on February 19. Both were single-engine, with two people aboard each. The Cessna 172S landed without trouble. The Lancair 360 MK II hit the ground near a runway and burned, and its two occupants died.
The NTSB said the aircraft “collided while upwind of runway 12” and that the Lancair “impacted terrain near runway 3.” The FAA and NTSB are both investigating, with the NTSB in the lead. The agency has asked witnesses to contact it at [email protected].
What the preliminary report says
The catch is that the airport has no control tower. The FAA calls Marana an uncontrolled field, meaning pilots announce their own positions on a common radio frequency and the pilot in command is responsible for keeping clear of other aircraft.
According to the NTSB’s preliminary report, the Cessna’s flight instructor announced on that frequency that her aircraft would do a stop-and-go on the runway, a short field landing followed by a short field takeoff. She said they landed and were taking off again when they heard the Lancair pilot say he was going around. She then checked ADS-B traffic information on her iPad and saw the Lancair closing on them from behind. “As the instructor was keying up the radio to ask the Lancair pilot if they saw them, both airplanes collided,” the report states. It places the collision over the intersection of two runways.
Marana police gave a different texture. A witness told an officer he had heard the pilots shouting at each other before the crash, and one allegedly said “You cut me off.” The Cessna pilot said she assumed the Lancair would veer off.
The victims
The dead were Michael Reinath, 70, and Linda Gifford, 76, both in the Lancair. The pilot and student in the Cessna were not hurt and needed no medical attention. AeroGuard, the Cessna’s operator, said its pilots were uninjured. Town officials said neither plane was based at the airport.
Witnesses ran to the burning wreck with fire extinguishers, police said. An officer saw heavy fire coming from a ditch and was told the two people inside the Lancair were dead.
“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,” Airport Superintendent Galen Beem said. “This is an unprecedented event.”
Airport closed, tower debate
The airport shut down after the crash. Local pilot Robert Traylor said he had his plane warmed up for a flight to Payson when a radio call told him the field was closed. The town is working to get a control tower, though Traylor is unsure it would help: “I don’t know if that would make this airport any safer. You know, they seem to think so.”
It was the second crash in the Marana area since October 2024, when a small plane went into two homes on Oct. 8 after an equipment failure. No one was reported hurt then.
Sources
- Aircrafts collide in midair near Arizona airport; 2 reported dead
- Two dead after Cessna and Lancair collide midair in Arizona
- NTSB report outlines the moments before fatal mid-air crash in Marana
Sources
- Aircrafts collide in midair near Arizona airport; 2 reported dead
- Two dead after Cessna and Lancair collide midair in Arizona
