Both Pilots Landed Safety After The Collision

Two jets made contact in flight Friday during a heat at the Reno Air Races. Fortunately, what was described as a "Mayday" situation ended with both planes landing safely and no one being injured.

Television station KOLO reports that in an official statement, the Reno Air Races Association said "The jets sustained some damage, but we are happy to report both pilots landed the jets safely."

The Reno Gazette Journal reports that the pilots have been identified as Alexandre Eckmann of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, piloting Race 37, pictured above, and Nathan Harnagel of Friendswood, Texas, piloting Reality Czech by event spokeswoman Valerie Glenn.

The minor collision occurred at about 10:00 a.m. local time during Jet Heat 2B. The planes came into contact near Pylon 4, according to the report, which is not visible from the stands but may have been visible to judges.

The incident did not affect the rest of the day's racing, and is under investigation by the NTSB.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report, Source report