16-03-2025
Marana deadly mid-air collision: NTSB releases preliminary report
The Brief
The National Transportation Safety Board released their preliminary report on March 14.
The mid-air crash happened on February 19.
MARANA, Ariz. - There are new details about the deadly mid-air collision at theMarana 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.
