Authorities: 5 Dead In Midair Collision Of Small Planes
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal investigator says the death toll in Sunday's midair collision in Southern California has risen to five.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Andrew Swick told San Diego media that four people were aboard a twin-engine Sabreliner jet that collided with a single-engine Cessna 172.
The jet was leased by military contractor BAE Systems, which said in a statement that its employees were aboard the aircraft.
Swick said the pilot of the Cessna, who was also killed in the crash, was on a cross-country trip.
Both planes were approaching Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego County when they collided.
The planes caught fire when they hit the ground and broke apart. First responders said the wreckage was strewn across a quarter-mile area.
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