At least two dead after planes crash mid-air when they went to land at same time
At least two people have died after a mid-air collision between two small planes over an airport in California, officials say.
A twin-engine Cessna 340 propeller plane with two people aboard and a single-engine Cessna 152 carrying only its pilot were trying to land at an airport in Watsonville, according the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Both were making a final approach to the tarmac when they collided and crashed, the authority added.
A passing driver told local media the planes had around 200 feet left to descend when the larger plane suddenly to the right.
It hit the wing of the smaller plane, which ‘just spiralled down and crashed’, just to the side of the airfield.
The larger plane kept flying but appeared to be ‘struggling’ as it travelled out of view and seemed to become engulfed in flames, the witness said.
The airport, which is owned by the city, does not have a control tower to direct pilots.
No one on the ground was hurt, and there were no early indications as to whether the third person involved in the crash survived.
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Watsonville authorities tweeted after the incident: ‘Multiple agencies responded to Watsonville Municipal Airport after two planes attempting to land collided.
‘We have reports of multiple fatalities.’
Mayor Ari Parker wrote: ‘We are absolutely saddened to hear about the tragic incident that took the lives of several people.
‘The City of Watsonville sends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who passed.’
The incident is the second airplane crash in just over a week in California.
A plane went down over a motorway near the town of Corona on August 9 after suffering a ‘possible engine failure’ but both people onboard survived.
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