A small aircraft skidded off the runway at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona on Monday afternoon, resulting from a malfunction in its landing gear. This incident led to a collision with a stationary business jet on the tarmac, tragically claiming one life and injuring three others, as reported by local authorities.

The accident occurred around 2:45 p.m. when a Learjet 35A, which had recently departed from Austin, Texas, touched down and struck a parked Gulfstream 200 business jet located on private property adjacent to the runway. Kelli Kuester, the aviation planning and outreach coordinator for Scottsdale Airport, indicated that the left main landing gear of the Learjet failed upon landing.

At the scene, one individual was pronounced dead, while two others were rushed to nearby trauma centers in critical condition. Another person was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to Captain Dave Folio of the Scottsdale Fire Department during a press briefing. One individual chose to decline medical assistance.

In the aftermath of the incident, all flights at the airport were suspended, and the runways were closed. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the five individuals involved in the incident or specified which aircraft they were aboard.

This collision follows a troubling trend of aviation incidents occurring nationwide in recent weeks. In late January, a tragic accident involving a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Washington resulted in the deaths of all 67 passengers on board. Additionally, a plane crash in Philadelphia on January 31 claimed the lives of seven people, and just last Thursday, ten individuals lost their lives in a separate crash in Alaska while en route to Nome.

Sheelagh McNeill contributed to the research for this report.

Source link