Arizona airport plane collision results in one death and four injuries
PHOENIX -- At least one person is dead and multiple individuals are injured following a crash between two airplanes at an Arizona airport, as reported by authorities. This incident comes amid increasing concerns regarding air safety in the U.S.
Kelli Kuester, spokesperson for Scottsdale Airport, disclosed during an evening news briefing that a Learjet arriving from Austin veered off the runway and collided with a parked jet. Kuester noted that the left main gear of the arriving plane appeared to have failed upon landing, leading to the collision.
The Scottsdale Airport is situated approximately 22 miles northeast of Phoenix.
Capt. Dave Folio, spokesperson for the Scottsdale Fire Department, confirmed the fatality and four injuries, stating that two individuals are in critical condition. The runway has been designated as an active investigation scene.
"A Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona around 2:45 p.m.," the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed in a statement. "There were four people on board the Learjet and one person on board the Gulfstream."
Authorities indicated that both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash, with the NTSB taking the lead and providing updates on the incident.
This crash is the latest in a series of deadly incidents, as the nation faces increasing scrutiny over air safety.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are also looking into three deadly accidents that have occurred in recent weeks: a midair collision in Washington, D.C., between a passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that resulted in the deaths of 67 people; a medical jet crash in Philadelphia that killed seven; and a plane crash in Alaska that claimed 10 lives.
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