WAAHINGTON – A 19-year-old trainee pilot was among three people killed whentwo small training aircraft from a flight school collided midair in the USstate of Florida, authorities said on Wednesday.
The two small planes likely to piloted by trainers smashed into each otheron Tuesday over the Florida Everglades near Miami, the Federal AviationAdministration said, the Miami Herald reported.
The two aircraft — Piper PA-34 and Cessna 172 — belonged to DeanInternational, a flight school in Miami that has a history of more than twodozen incidents and accidents in the decade between 2007 and 2017, MiamiDade County Mayor said.
Police confirmed at least three deaths and are investigating whether afourth person was killed.
Police identified the three victims as Nisha Sejwal from India and JorgeSanchez, 22 and Ralph Knight, 72.
Sejwal had enrolled in flight school in September 2017, according to herFacebook page.
The debris of the crashed planes was located in a region only accessible byairboats.
Two victims were discovered at the wreckage of one small plane and a thirdwas found near the crash site of the second aircraft.
“Preliminary information that is coming into our homicide detectives isthat the two planes were possibly training, which leads us to believe thatyou have a pilot and a trainer or trainer and a student, and in anotherplane a trainer and student,” Miami-Dade police spokesman Alvaro Zabaletasaid.
The search and rescue effort was suspended yesterday due to the lowvisibility.
A witness named Daniel Miralles, who was fishing in a canal near theairport, said he looked up in time to see the planes collide and recordvideo of falling debris on his cellphone.
“I heard a weird sound. It sounded like a plane, but it it sounded tooclose. It sounded like an 18-wheeler going 100 mph down the street,” saidMiralles.
Dean International’s website says it offers primary instruction for studentpilots, advanced instruction for private and commercial pilots and trainingfor multi-engine flights.