Marana deadly mid-air collision: NTSB releases preliminary report
NTSB releases preliminary report on deadly crash
Surveillance pictures of the moments the Cessna and Lancair planes collided in Marana, AZ are included in the report. Investigators say a flight instructor was in the Cessna with a student, practicing touch down maneuvers.
MARANA, Ariz. - There are new details about the deadly mid-air collision at the Marana Regional Airport, located near Avra Valley and Sandario Roads that happened last month.
What we know:
Included in the National Transportation Safety Board's report: surveillance photos of the moments the Cessna and Lancair airplanes collided.
The report also shows the flight instructor had announced plans to perform a short landing and take off, and saw the other plane coming up from behind. But the crash happened before she could contact the other pilot.
The two people onboard the second plane died.
The pilot and student in the Cessna were not seriously hurt.
What they're saying:
Witnesses say the pilots could be heard yelling at each other just before the collision, with one of them saying, "You cut me off."
The backstory:
There is no air traffic control tower at Marana Airport, meaning pilots are in charge of communication.
On March 6, officials with the Town of Marana released a statement on their website, identifying the crash victims as 70-year-old Michael Reinath and 76-year-old Linda Gifford.
Pilots heard yelling at each other before plane crash
Witnesses say the pilots involved in a plane crash at Marana Airport that left two people dead were heard on radio yelling at each other before the crash happened.
The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB continue to investigate the collision.