Planes Observed To Be At About 1000 Feet In Altitude When Impact Occurred

NTSB investigators have been interviewing eyewitnesses to a mid-air collision which occurred southwest of Wasilla, AK on Saturday. Both pilots survived the accident, but remain hospitalized.

According to those reports, the planes, both identified as Piper PA-18 Super Cubs, appeared to be as high as 1,000 feet above ground level at the time of the accident, according to a report from the Alaska Dispatch News. That was confirmed by NTSB investigator Brice Banning, who spent Monday looking at both accident scenes.

Both planes came down in a wooded area near Knik-Goose Bay, which is in an area under new radio frequency regulations put in place following a mid-air collision in 2011. Banning said he had not yet examined the radio traffic at the time of the accident.

The Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough is a fast-growing region with several small airports and even more private airstrips, and the air traffic in the area has been increasing, according to the report.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov