Two small planes collided mid-air near Marana Regional Airport in Arizona on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, resulting in the death of two people. The collision involved two fixed-wing single-engine aircraft: a Lancair and a Cessna. Each plane was carrying two passengers at the time of the incident.
Tragically, the two fatalities were both occupants of the same aircraft, while the individuals in the other plane miraculously escaped uninjured. According to preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the aircraft collided while “upwind of runway 12.”
The Cessna managed to land safely, but the Lancair “impacted terrain near runway 3,” resulting in a post-impact fire. Marana Regional Airport, located approximately 21 miles northwest of Tucson, was temporarily closed to facilitate the investigation.
Galen Beem, Marana Regional Airport Superintendent, expressed his condolences in a statement: “On behalf of the Town of Marana and the Marana Regional Airport, our hearts go out to all the individuals and families impacted by this event. This is an unprecedented event, and we are grateful for the swift response from the Marana Police Department and Northwest Fire District.”
Uncontrolled Airspace: A Factor In The Arizona Collision?
One significant aspect of this tragic incident is that Marana Regional Airport operates as an uncontrolled field. This means it does not have an operating air traffic control tower. Instead, pilots utilize a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to announce their positions to other aircraft in the vicinity.
In such environments, the responsibility for maintaining safe distances between aircraft falls primarily on the pilots themselves. Now, people are talking again about the current safety procedures at uncontrolled airports and whether or not more measures are needed to avoid future tragedies like this one.
This tragic collision follows a series of other aircraft-related incidents that have occurred in recent weeks. These include a Delta Air Lines plane that flipped upside down while landing in Toronto on February 17. Before this, a fatal medical jet crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, and a devastating midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial airplane in Washington, D.C. claimed 67 lives.
