NTSB Launches Investigation After 2 Killed in Arizona Midair

Marana Regional Airport (KAVQ). [Credit: Google Maps/screenshot]

Authorities in southern Arizona are investigating a fatal midair collision involving two small aircraft at Marana Regional Airport (KAVQ) on Wednesday morning.

The airport is a nontowered field approximately 15 miles northwest of Tucson.

The February 19 collision occurred just before 8:30 a.m. MST and involved a Cessna 172 and a Lancair MK III, the Marana Police Department said in a social media post.

Video of the crash site shot from above showed charred wreckage of the Lancair. The Cessna was parked on the ramp with crime scene tape around it.

READ MORE: Are Towered Airports Safer?

The Lancair is a low-wing experimental aircraft akin to a flying sports car. The Cessna is a high-wing design used extensively for flight training. Each aircraft had two people on board, according to officials.

The Lancair came down near a runway and burned, killing both persons. The Cessna was able to land uneventfully at the airport.

The airport has two runways, 12/30 measuring 6,901 feet by 100 feet and a crosswind runway 3/21 measuring 3,892 by 75 feet. Preliminary information indicated both aircraft were flying the upwind leg of Runway 12 just before impact.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA are investigating.

This is a developing story.

Arizona Cessna 172 Lancair MK III midair crash NTSB

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.