3 Killed In A Midair Plane Collision Over Everglades, Miami-Dade Mayor Says

WLRN Public Media | By David J. Neal,

Douglas Hanks

Published July 17, 2018 at 3:36 PM EDT

Two small planes crashed in the Florida Everglades Tuesday afternoon, around 22700 SW Eighth St.. Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Gimenez said three people are dead and the planes are from Dean International flight school.

Two small planes crashed in far west Miami-Dade around 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to Miami-Dade police. Mayor Carlos Gimenez told The Miami Herald that three people were killed in a midair collision.

Gimenez said the two planes are from the Dean International flight school, which operates out of Miami Executive Airport in Southwest Miami-Dade. The FAA says the crash happened nine miles west of that airport and involved a Piper PA-34 and a Cessna 172.

Mayor Gimenez calling Miami-Dade aviation chief Lester Sola after learning of what he called a possible mid-air collision involving two small Dean flying school’s aircraft. Said there are three confirmed fatalities. pic.twitter.com/lTwnb4WFSk— Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) July 17, 2018

Dean International’s website says it offers primary instruction for student pilots, advanced instruction for private and commercial pilots and training for multi-engine flight. What it doesn’t say is that FAA records showed more than two dozen accidents and incidents from 2007-2017.

Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.