Four Dead In Nevada Midair

Four people were killed in a midair collision involving a Piper PA-46 Malibu Mirage and a Cessna 172N Skyhawk at Nevada’s North Las Vegas airport (VGT) on Sunday. Authorities reported that each aircraft had two people onboard. The names of the individuals killed in the crash have not yet been released.

“Preliminary information indicates that the Piper PA-46 was preparing to land when it collided with the Cessna 172,” the FAA said in a statement. “The Piper crashed into in a field east of Runway 30-Right and the Cessna fell into a water retention pond.”

The accident occurred at around 12 p.m. local time and a post-crash fire was reported. According to tower audio recorded by LiveATC.net, the 172, N160RA, was cleared for the option on Runway 30R while the PA-46, N97CX, was cleared to land on Runway 30L. ADS-B tracking data appears to show the PA-46 overshooting the final approach course for 30L. The NTSB is investigating the accident.  

The crash at VGT is one of eleven fatal general aviation accidents reported in the FAA’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system between Thursday, July 14, and Sunday, July 18.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.