FAA: 1 dead after 2 planes collide, crash in Coolidge

[Matt Ottosen]

COOLIDGE, AZ – Two people aboard a plane that crashed after a mid-air collision near Phoenix on Wednesday were student pilots, according to the FAA.

Spokesperson Ian Gregor said both were part of a Phoenix-area flight school. One of the two was killed in the crash; the second was airlifted to a local hospital.

Lieutenant Tamatha Villar with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said the crash between two aircraft occurred around 10 a.m. near Arizona Boulevard and Coolidge Road. That's close to a baseball field.

The plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee, is reportedly registered to Oxford Airline Training Center out of Goodyear. The pilot and a passenger were not hurt, and apparently walked away from the scene.

The second plane, believed to be a single-engine Cessna 150, went down several miles away from the first plane in a dirt field.

Coolidge police officers said the plane was spiraling down from the air after the collision.

One person on board was killed and the other was airlifted to a hospital. Both were believed to be student pilots.

Police said the victim that was killed had been thrown from the plane about 100 feet.

Inspectors with the FAA and National Transportation Safety board are on the way to the crash sites.

The cause of the crash is unknown.

Coolidge is about 40 miles southeast of Phoenix.

Stay with ABC15.com for updates.

[David Loera]

we will pray for there familys