(MARANA, Ariz.) — Two people were confirmed dead after two small planes collided midair at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona on Wednesday.
There were two people onboard each aircraft, a Lancair and a Cessna, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The aircrafts collided while upwind of runway 12, according to preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board.
“The Cessna landed uneventfully; the Lancair impacted terrain near runway 3 and a post-impact fire ensued,” according to the NTSB.
The planes collided around 8:30 a.m. local time.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate, and NTSB investigators are on their way to the scene with two more on the way, officials said.
The Marana Regional Airport is an uncontrolled field — it does not have an operating ATC control tower. Pilots utilize a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to announce their position to other aircrafts. The pilot in command is responsible for maintaining a safe distance from other aircrafts.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(PHILADELPHIA) — A medical transport plane, carrying a child, her mother and four other people, crashed in Philadelphia Friday night near a busy mall, killing all aboard and resulting in an untold number of injuries on the ground.
The Learjet 55 crashed near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia around 6:30 p.m. after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to authorities.
The exact number of the injured is not yet available, officials said.
“Many people on the ground – in parking lots, on streets, in cars and homes in the area – were injured; the number of injured is yet to be released but the information shared at this time reports that a number of people were transported to Temple University Hospital, Jeans Campus in the Northeast,” the office of Mayor Cherelle Parker said Saturday.
“Right now, we’re just asking for prayers,” Parker told reporters Friday night. She urged residents to stay away from the scene.
In a statement, Shriner’s Hospital said the child had received care from the Philadelphia hospital and was being taken back to her home country of Mexico along with her mother on a contracted air ambulance when the crash happened.
The company that operated the flight, Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, said in a statement there were four crew members on board.
“At this time, we cannot confirm any survivors,” the company said in the statement. “No names are being released at this time until family members have been notified. Our immediate concern is for the patient’s family, our personnel, their families and other victims that may have been hurt on the ground.”
The air ambulance was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, according to Flight Radar24 data.
“I regret the death of six Mexicans in the plane crash in Philadelphia, United States,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a statement Saturday. “The consular authorities are in permanent contact with the families; I have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support them in whatever way is required. My solidarity with their loved ones and friends.”
A large fire burned in the wake of the crash, prompting a significant response.
“We heard a loud explosion and then saw the aftermath of flames and smoke,” eyewitness Jimmy Weiss told local ABC station WPVI near the scene.
He added, “It felt like the ground shook .. it was a loud boom. It was startling.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
An NTSB investigator arrived at the scene Friday night with additional team members expected to arrive Saturday.
Temple University Hospital told ABC News it had received six patients hurt in the crash, although it was not clear if they were in the plane or people who were on the ground.
Three of those patients were treated and released and three remain hospitalized in fair condition, the hospital said.
Speaking at a follow-up press briefing Friday night, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said dozens of state troopers and other state personnel were on on hand to offer help and praised local responders and community members.
“We saw neighbor helping neighbor. We saw Pennsylvanians looking out for one another,” he said.
In a statement posted to social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump said: “So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all.”
Immediately after the crash, the FAA issued a ground stop at Northeast Philadelphia Airport due to “an aircraft incident.”
The FAA had initially reported there were two people on board the aircraft but later corrected that report.
ABC News’ Ayesha Ali and Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — There’s no indication the U.S. Army Black Hawk crew could tell there was an impending collision before its devastating crash with an American Airlines plane in Washington, D.C., National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy said Friday as the agency continues to investigate the cause of the accident.
The helicopter crew may have had bad information on the altitude from their altimeter, as the pilots had differing altitudes in the seconds before the crash, the NTSB said.
One helicopter pilot thought they were at 300 feet and the other thought they were at 200 feet. The NTSB is not prepared to say exactly how high the helicopter was at impact, the NTSB said.
“We are looking at the possibility of there may be bad data,” Homendy said.
The transmission from the tower that instructed the helicopter to go behind the plane may not have been heard by the crew because the pilot may have keyed her radio at the same second and stepped on the transmission from ATC, the NTSB added.
The Black Hawk crew was likely wearing night vision goggles throughout the flight, Homendy said.
The Black Hawk was conducting an annual training flight and night vision goggle check ride for one of the pilots at the time of the crash, Homendy said. This is a practical exam that a pilot must pass to be qualified to perform specific duties, she said.
On the evening of Jan. 29, the American Airlines regional jet was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River.
No one survived.
Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.
At the news conference, Homendy commended Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for taking immediate action to restrict helicopter traffic around Reagan airport in the wake of the crash. It’s “too early to say” whether that restriction should be permanent, she said.
Homendy also stressed the safety of U.S. air travel.
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to dole out millions of dollars to multiple nonprofits groups, determining the Trump administration violated the terms of a temporary restraining order issued two weeks ago regarding freezing foreign aid.
This is a breaking story. Please check back in for updates.
