Aircraft

A fatal mid-air collision occurred yesterday in the US state of Wisconsin involving two Shorts turboprop freighters.

Details are sketchy, but local media in Madison, Wisconsin say two aircraft operated by Milwaukee-based Air Cargo Carriers collided above Watertown, around 70km (38nm) from Madison at around 16:50 yesterday. One of the aircraft has been identified as a Shorts 360 and the other is also thought to be the same type.

The aircraft took off from Milwaukee General Mitchell airport together and were flying together to an as-yet unspecified location when the collision occurred. One aircraft landed safely at Juneau Dodge County airport, a further 27km on from Watertown, while the other crashed, killing all three crew aboard.

According to data provided by Flight International fleet analyst affiliate AvSoft, Air Cargo Carriers operates a fleet of 11 Shorts 330-200 turboprops and 13 360s and 360-300s. The company claims the world's largest fleet of Shorts freighters.

The US Federal Aviation Administration and the US National Transportation Safety Board are investigating and a preliminary statement from the FAA says it is not immediately clear whether the impact of the collision or the subsequent crash caused the three deaths.

External link:
Watch the news report from Milwaukee news channel TMJ4 on the accident.