Small plane crash lands at Mesa’s Falcon field airport after midair collision

Two people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Published: Mar. 17, 2023 at 2:17 PM MST|Updated: Mar. 17, 2023 at 5:39 PM MST
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MESA (3TV/CBS 5) - Officials say two planes flying over Mesa collided mid-air, causing one to crash land at Falcon Field Municipal airport Friday afternoon.

A spokesperson with the Mesa Fire and Medical Department said they received initial reports of two planes declaring an emergency landing at Falcon Field after reporting they had experienced a mid-air collision around 12:45 p.m. One of the planes was an Air Force Warbird.

MFMD says three planes were flying in formation mid-air during the incident. Firefighters at the airport said one of the planes landed without incident, and a second plane did a fly-by with the landing gear stowed. However, the Warbird crash-landed towards the end of the runway. According to MFMD, the landing gear failed, and the plane broke in half behind the cockpit, causing it to crash nose-down before coming to a stop on the runway.

Two people were removed from the plane by the fire department and were treated for minor injuries. They refused to be taken to the hospital.

Firefighters at the airport said one of the planes landed without incident; however, the second one crash-landed towards the end of the runway.
Map showing Falcon Field Municipal Airport, owned and operated by the City of Mesa.
MAP: Falcon Field Municipal Airport(azfamily / Bing)

Airport officials referred additional questions to the FAA. Arizona’s Family has reached out to the federal agency for further details.