At least two people have been killed in an incident at the Marion Municipal Airport in Indiana, after two planes collided on the runway, according to local authorities.
The deadly incident unfolded when a smaller plane that was taking off to the southeast clipped a larger plane that was landing from the north, the coroner, who was dispatched to the scene following the collision, told local WTHR 13 news.
As a result of the crash, the private jet caught fire, killing the pilot and passenger on board, the official said, adding that no injuries were sustained on the larger plane.
Photos and videos, allegedly captured by eyewitnesses at the scene, show two planes wrecked on the runway, with emergency vehicles on site.
The planes involved in the crash were a single-engine Cessna 150 and a Cessna 525 Citation Jet, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, confirming that the smaller plane struck the business jet at 5:09 pm local time when it just touched the ground. The FAA believes that the incident could have been caused by the lack of a traffic control tower at the municipal air hub.
“Pilots using the field are expected to announce their intentions on a common radio frequency and to coordinate with one another while on the ground and in the traffic pattern,” the FAA said, according to WTHI-TV 10, a local news channel.
