1 killed, 4 injured after 2 jets collide on airport runway in U.S. Arizona

One person was killed and four others were injured after two jets collided on the runway Monday afternoon at the Scottsdale Airport in the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona, reported Xinhua, quoting authorities.

"A Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona around 2:45 p.m. local time (GMT 2145) Monday," said the U.S. Federal Aviation Association in a statement.

Kelli Kuester, the aviation planning and outreach coordinator of the Scottsdale Airport, said at an evening news conference that the Learjet had arrived from Austin, Texas. The jet's left main landing gear failed upon touchdown, leading to the crash.

The airport runway has been closed and will remain so for the foreseeable future, Kuester added.

At a news conference, Scottsdale Fire Department Captain Dave Folio said five people were involved in the crash. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to local trauma centers in critical condition. Another person required medical attention, but the treatment was delayed, and a fifth individual refused treatment.

Officials said the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

This incident follows three major aviation disasters in the United States in just two weeks. On Jan. 29, an American Airlines commuter jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers during a landing approach in Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people. Two days later, a medical jet crashed in Philadelphia, killing six people aboard and one on the ground. Earlier this month, all 10 people aboard a Bering Air plane died when it crashed in Alaska.