Investigation Underway After Two Small Planes Collide in Midair

One person died after two small planes collided Sunday near a small Colorado airport.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said a Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 collided in the air near Fort Morgan Municipal Airport at about 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration said, according to KUSA-TV.

“We know that one plane was on approach to the airport and was struck by the other plane,” Morgan County Undersheriff Jon Horton said of the incident. “Very sad.”

Two people were aboard each aircraft.

One person aboard the Extra Flugzeugbau was killed and the second was hospitalized, according to ABC.

Both occupants of the Cessna sustained minor injuries that could be treated at the scene. Images of the Cessna after it crashed showed extensive damage.

Have you ever flown on a small plane?

Additional details about the crash were not available. The airport’s FAA tower webcam showed a smoke plume in the distance but did not show the moment of impact.

“Fort Morgan is what is considered an uncontrolled airport. There is no control tower there. And so it’s incumbent upon pilots who are flying in and out of that airport to report their position over a common frequency,” aviation expert Greg Feith said, according to KUSA.

“That’s going to be the key for investigators to see if in fact radio calls were made by both aircraft pilots,” he continued.

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Issues ranging from visibility to mechanical trouble must be considered, he said.

“So investigators have quite a bit of work to do other than just looking at the wreckage to determine how the two aircraft collided,” Feith said.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

For now, the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport is closed.

“We have deputies on scene just securing the area until the other agencies arrive,” Horton said.

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