One person injured in mid-air crash

TALKEETNA — An Eagle River man as injured Sunday evening when two planes collided while landing at the airport.

Reports of the collision went out over local EMS radio starting about 5:15 p.m. The planes — one from an air taxi service and one a private plane — collided about 100-feet off the ground while landing at the Talkeetna Airport May 31, authorities said.

The planes were both single-engine craft, both blue-and-white, a Cessna 172 and a Talkeetna Air Taxi Cessna 185. Alaska State Troopers say Antonio Benavides, 32 of Anchorage was piloting a Cessna 185 with four passengers on board at the time of the crash. Cole Hagge, 27 of Eagle River was piloting the Cessna 172.

Six people were evaluated at the crash site, and one was transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, said Glenn Stevens, EMS Chief.

“We evaluated a total of six patients, five of whom are denying injury, one of whom is being transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center with light injuries,” Stevens said.

Hagge was transported to the Palmer hospital with non-life threatening injuries, troopers said.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board responded to the scene Sunday evening, and have completed their examination of the planes, according to Shaun Williams, an air safety investigator for the board.

"As with any investigation we'll focus on three factors: man, machine and environment," he said.

Investigators will examine the previous 72 hours leading up to the crash for each pilot, Williams said.

Responders closed the Talkeetna landing strip about 5:30 p.m., according to radio reports. The first 500 feet of the runway was closed for a time Sunday evening.

There is no air traffic control at the Talkeetna Airport and all pilots fly using visual flight rules.

Pilots should remain in frequent radio contact on approach for landing strips, Williams said.

"We're exception a lot of great summer days and urge pilots to use a lot of extra vigilance, and make sure everybody's talking on the radios," Williams said.