Cole Hagge, 27, injured when two small planes collide near airport in Talkeetna, Alaska

Modified Date:

Tue, 06/09/2015 - 1:45pm

Accident Date:

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Troopers: 1 injured when two planes collide near Talkeetna

Troopers say 27-year-old Cole Hagge of Eagle River sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash reported shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday at the Talkeetna airport. Hagge, who was piloting one of the planes, was being treated at the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Pilot says he didn't know he had been in midair collision until after landing

The air taxi pilot involved in Sunday's midair crash at Talkeetna Airport told supervisors he didn’t know he’d collided with another plane until he landed and opened his door.

Troopers name Alaska pilots who survived mid-air collision

"Investigation revealed (an) Antonio Benavides, age 32 of Anchorage, was piloting a Cessna 185 with four passengers on board," troopers wrote. "Benavides' plane subsequently collided approximately 100 feet in the air over the runway with a Cessna 172 piloted by Cole Hagge, age 27 of Eagle River. Both planes sustained significant damage and Hagge was the only injured party involved in the incident."

Preliminary report sheds light on midair crash, common practices by pilots

Cole Hagge left the Palmer Airport at 4:25 p.m., but did not leave any flight plan to indicate his route. The pilot of the other plane, owned by Talkeetna Air Taxi, did file a flight plan before he took three passengers on a charter flight over Denali National Park.

NTSB: Talkeetna midair planes both reported position before crash

“After the collision, both airplanes remained joined together during and after impact with the ground,” NTSB officials wrote. “The debris field was about 460 feet long with the initial fragments located about 62 feet prior to the runway threshold. The main wreckage came to rest about five feet off of the left side of the runway.”

Two small planes collided about 100 feet in the air over a runway at the Talkeetna airport. One pilot, Cole Hagge of Eagle River, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for treatment. The other pilot, Antonio Benavides, 32, and the four passengers onboard his aircraft, did not report any injuries. Both planes were significantly damaged.

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Type: Aircraft Accident

People Involved:

Cole Hagge

Antonio Benavides

City:

Talkeetna, AK

County:

Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK

Area:

Anchorage, AK