Two dead after small planes collide midair in fourth US aviation disaster in a month

A midair collision involving two small planes in southern Arizona killed at least two people Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the collision that happened near Marana Regional Airport on the outskirts of Tucson. The Marana Police Department confirmed two deaths after responding to the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration says two people were aboard each plane involved in the collision.

Four major aviation disasters have occurred in North America in the last month.

The most recent involved a Delta jet that flipped on its roof while landing in Toronto and the deadly crash of a commuter plane in Alaska.

In late January, 67 people aboard an American Airlines passenger were killed when an Army helicopter collided with it in Washington, DC, marking the United States’ deadliest aviation disaster since 2001.

Just a day later, a medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood on January 31, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes. That crash killed seven people, including all those aboard, and injured 19 others

The airport in 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 pandemic pushed back construction. Tens of thousands of flights arrive and depart from the airport annually.