Marana Regional Airport in Arizona operates without an air traffic control tower, which requires pilots to rely on radio communications. Recently, two small planes collided in midair, resulting in fatalities while leaving the other plane unscathed. Eyewitness accounts suggest that one plane was undertaking a touch-and-go maneuver when it was hit by another. This incident highlights the complexities and dangers involved in flying at un-towered airports, where the safety protocols differ significantly but do not necessarily compromise safety.
Chatter over the airwaves has provided some clues about what happened in Arizona. A chief flight instructor who was in the air with a student that day heard the commotion over the radio: One plane was attempting a touch-and-go when another clipped its propeller while attempting to land.
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! He just hit us." It will be up to federal investigators to determine what caused the crash, a detailed process that will take months.
While some observers suggest having a control tower may have made a difference, experts say not having a tower doesn't mean the airport is any less safe; pilots just have a different set of communication procedures to follow.
Of the 5,100 public airports across the country, only about 10% have towers staffed by people who direct the flow of traffic.
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