Washington, September 10: A Chinese learner pilot has been killed during a training flight in the United States after two small planes collided in the western state of Arizona.
The Chinese student, whose identity has not been disclosed, was flying a single-engine Cessna plane along with a colleague around urban areas in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday when a second small plane hit the aircraft from the rear and sent it rolling onto a dirt field.
Eyewitnesses say that the Chinese learner pilot jumped to his death while still in the air in fear of the imminent crash. His classmate, however, dramatically escaped the collision almost unscathed after the ripped airplane smashed into the field.
The two aircrafts were on a training session when the accident occurred.
The second small plane managed to land successfully and its two passengers also survived the mishap.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Investigators and National Transportation Safety board are probing the cause of the accident.
—–Agencies