Marana deadly mid-air collision: NTSB releases preliminary report
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.
The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB continue to investigate the collision.