At least one person was killed when a business jet collided with another aircraft after landing at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona on Monday, authorities confirmed. The incident is the latest in a series of deadly aviation accidents in the United States.
Emergency responders reported that one person remained trapped inside one of the planes, while three others were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Images from the crash site showed a jet appearing to have struck the rear of a larger aircraft, with emergency vehicles surrounding the wreckage.
According to a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet parked on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport. The FAA stated that the total number of people on board was not yet confirmed and announced a temporary suspension of flights into the airport.
Dave Folio of the Scottsdale Fire Department reported that emergency teams were working to free a trapped individual. He confirmed that five people were involved in the crash: one was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital, two were transported to local trauma centers with critical injuries, and one other person in stable condition was also hospitalized.
This tragedy is the latest in a string of fatal aviation incidents in the U.S.
On January 30, a passenger jet collided midair with a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, killing all 67 people on board. Shortly after, a medical aircraft crashed into a busy Philadelphia neighborhood, claiming seven lives and injuring 19.
Just last week, a small plane carrying 10 people crashed while flying between two remote Alaskan settlements. There were no survivors.
Authorities are investigating the Scottsdale collision as officials work to determine the cause of the accident.