In a year already filled with airline accidents, two planes collided mid-air near Marana Regional Airport, just northwest of Tucson, Arizona. The crash took place Wednesday morning when a Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II crashed while flying too close to one another, killing two. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that both planes were fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft, with two passengers on board apiece when the incident took place. While the Cessna managed to land safely, the Lancair crashed and ended up exploding near another runway, causing a deadly fire for those on board.
Airplane accidents are a rarity at Marana Regional Airport, even though it is a busy, uncontrolled field with no air traffic control tower (although one was supposed to be in place at the end of last year, but it was delayed). The lack of a control tower has led to an increased concern regarding potential risks at non-towered airports. Pilots rely on a common traffic advisory frequency so they can announce their positions and avoid collisions, without one, it’s easy to see how a crash could take place. Even so, pilots are mandated to comply with all federal aviation regulations, including maintaining safe altitudes and visibility, as outlined by the FAA.
The NTSB has begun an investigation, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days. In the interim, the airport has remained closed so authorities can do their job without interruption. This is the second fatal airplane accident in Arizona this month, and the fifth in the country this year; contributing to the growing concerns about aviation safety across America.
A String of Aviation Accidents
The safety of air travel has become a growing concern as of recently. Just two days before the Arizona collision, a Delta Air Lines jet crashed in Toronto, Canada. A video can be seen of the aircraft skidding along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to a dramatic halt upside down. Fortunately, all 80 people on board survived, but much like yesterday’s accident, the incident raised more questions regarding safety protocols for flights and international airports.
This Toronto crash was the most recent of a deadly string of airline accidents, including the midair collision between a military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet in Washington D.C. in January. The crash killed 67 and was the first fatal crash involving a U.S. airliner in nearly 16 years. Two days later, a small medical jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven, including a child patient and five crew members. These incidents have called the state of aviation safety into doubt, especially for smaller aircraft.
Experts, however, continue to emphasize that air travel is statistically still one of the safest modes of transportation. Despite the high-profile nature of the crashes, flying in North America is the safest it has ever been, according to the NTSB. But these incidents do serve as a stark reminder of the risks that pilots and passengers take on whenever they board an aircraft. Human error, mechanical failures, and inadequate safety measures can always be factors during your flight.
The Role of Uncontrolled Airports
According to the FAA, nearly 20,000 airports across the United States lack an air traffic control tower, much like Marana Regional Airport. In these locations, pilots are responsible for announcing their positions and intentions to other aircraft using a common traffic advisory frequency. Although this system helps reduce the risk of collisions, it relies heavily on pilots’ awareness and communication skills.
While non-towered airports are more common than towered ones, they do present unique challenges for pilots. Pilots must rely on their instruments and visual cues to ensure their safety, which can sometimes lead to errors or miscommunications, especially in busy or complex air traffic environments. Pilots are unable to rely on a tower to keep everyone in check, which can make for a busy frequency channel. Additionally, the regulations governing smaller aviation planes are not as stringent as commercial airliner ones. That means smaller planes get fewer inspections and maintenance checks, which may also contribute to higher risks when flying.
The two planes that crashed at Marana were not planes based at the airport, which are mainly used for leisure flights and training. The collision also happened outside of the airport’s controlled airspace, which means not only is the airport not liable, but that communication between pilots needs to happen constantly, not just in the main area. While pilots are trained to avoid accidents, high air traffic creates congestion and therefore increases the likelihood of a dangerous encounter.
A Wake-Up Call for Aviation Safety
Despite the relatively low number of aviation accidents in the United States, this crash highlights the ongoing need for better safety measures, especially at airports without air traffic control towers. Continued investment in air traffic control technology and staffing has been a point of concern for many in the aviation sector for some time now. This may be the push they needed.
As the NTSB and FAA continue to investigate the crash, it is still unclear if new measures will be introduced for non-towered airports or smaller aircraft in general. In the meantime, the aviation community will continue to learn from these incidents and work toward preventing similar tragedies in the future. While air travel is still one of the safest modes of transportation available, these accidents show that even a statistically small chance is not zero, and that even small aircraft are not immune to disaster.
For more on the latest developments in the investigation, follow updates from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Editor’s Note: Lead image of Cesna 172 is for representional purposes only. It is not an actual image of one of the planes involved in the accident.
Read More: People are confused after Google Maps officially renames the Gulf of Mexico