In Marana, Arizona, authorities have disclosed the identities of two individuals who lost their lives last month due to a tragic midair collision between two small aircraft at a local airport. Michael Reinath, aged 70, and Linda Gifford, aged 76, were identified as the victims of the February 19 tragic incident at Marana Regional Airport, located just outside Tucson. Both Reinath and Gifford were residents of Rio Vista, California.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine Lancair 360 MK II involved in the collision was registered to Reinath. The investigation revealed that each aircraft had two passengers on board at the time of the incident. One of the aircraft managed to land without incident, while the Lancair, carrying Reinath and Gifford, crashed near a runway and subsequently caught fire.
Newly released airport footage by the town of Marana captured the unfortunate moment of the collision. In the video, the Lancair is seen plummeting to the ground before bursting into flames, emitting thick black smoke. Another angle of the footage shows the second aircraft climbing in altitude at the time of the impact.
This tragic event followed closely after another plane crash in Scottsdale, where a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe’s lead singer Vince Neil led to the death of one pilot. The jet veered off the runway and collided with a business jet.
Earlier in January, the nation experienced another severe aviation disaster in Washington, D.C. Involving an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter, this incident resulted in the deaths of 67 people and was marked as the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States since 2001. The following day, a medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother, and four others crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood, leading to a devastating fireball and claiming seven lives, while injuring 19 others.