Closing Following Mid-Air Collision That Fatally Injured Four

The Miami, FL flight school which owned the two planes involved in a mid-air collision that fatally injured four people last week has closed, with the school's owner saying it is "the right thing to do."

The Miami Herald reports that he announcement came following a memorial service held at the school to honor the four people involved in the accident Jorge Sanchez, 22; Ralph Knight, 72; Nisha Sejwal, 19; and Carlo Zanetti Scarpati, 22.

School owner Robert Dean told the paper "We can't live with ourselves; the crash devastated us." He said that the school had already planned to cut staff because embassies have stopped issuing visas to students, and the accident just sealed the school's fate.

Dean said a company has been hired to provide an assessment of the school's property so that they can liquidate and reimburse students for tuition they have already paid. He said that the mid-air collision was a "freak accident. Like one in a hundred billion."

Some 200 students are enrolled at the school from nearly 100 countries, according to the report.

FMI: Original report