Arizona plane crash: Two dead after a small plane collision near Marana Regional Airport, Tucson

A mid-air collision involving two small planes in southern Arizona has killed at least two people, authorities said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the collision that happened near Marana Regional Airport on the outskirts of Tucson on Wednesday morning. The Marana Police Department confirmed two deaths after responding to the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration says two people were aboard each plane involved in the collision.

A video, captured by Justine Brent, has widely circulated online showing smoke billowing into the sky after the fatal collision.

Many online have used the latest crash to highlight the increase in aviation incidents.

The Associated Press left a message with a Marana police spokesperson seeking additional details.

Last week in Arizona, one of two pilots died on a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil after the aircraft veered off a runway in Scottsdale and hit a business jet.

Four major aviation disasters have occurred in North American in the last month. The most recent involved a Delta jet that flipped on its roof while landing in Toronto and the deadly crash of a commuter plane in Alaska.

In late January, 67 people aboard an American Airlines passenger were killed when an Army helicopter collided with it in Washington, DC, marking the United States’ deadliest aviation disaster since 2001.

Just a day later, a medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood on January 31, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes. That crash killed seven people, including all those aboard, and injured 19 others.

The airport in Marana has two intersecting runways but operates without an air traffic control tower.

A multimillion-dollar project was underway to build a tower but delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back construction. Tens of thousands of flights arrive and depart from the airport annually.