On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, a tragic mid-air collision took place at Marana Regional Airport in Pima County, Arizona. Two small planes, a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II, collided, leading to the unfortunate deaths of two individuals. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now investigating to find out what went wrong.
The Marana Police Department confirmed that two lives were lost in this incident. The Marana Regional Airport, located about 21 miles northwest of Tucson, is an uncontrolled airfield. This means it doesn’t have an operating control tower, so pilots are responsible for maintaining safe distances from other aircraft using a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF).
This incident is part of a worrying trend in aviation safety, with several recent accidents raising concerns. For example, there was a crash between a regional American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., and another involving a medical transport plane in Philadelphia. The NTSB is investigating potential factors such as radio communication issues and altitude discrepancies.
JUST IN:
Reports of plane crash at Marana Regional Airport in Pima County, Arizona.
What is going on?? pic.twitter.com/JrTI2hYXSM
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) February 19, 2025
Sources:
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/least-1-dead-marana-plane-crash
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2025/02/19/marana-arizona-plane-crash/79207852007/