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One dead after business jets collide at Arizona airport

The incident took place at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona (File image)
The incident took place at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona (File image)

At least one person was killed after a midsize business jet skidded off the runway while landing at the Scottsdale, Arizona, municipal airport and collided with another jet that was parked, authorities said.

One person remained trapped inside one of the planes at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, with three others taken to hospital.

Pictures from the scene showed a jet that appeared to have hit the back of a larger plane, with emergency vehicles on hand.

"A Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona," a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said.

"We do not know how many people were on board. The FAA is temporarily pausing flights into the airport," they added.

Dave Folio, of the Scottsdale Fire Department, said units were on the runway trying to free one person.

"I can tell you that we have five souls, one dead on arrival at hospital, two immediate victims have been transported to local trauma centres," he told a press conference.

One other person whose condition he described as stable was also taken to the hospital.

The crash was the latest in a series of aviation incidents.

On 30 January, a passenger jet collided in mid-air with a US Army helicopter in Washington, killing all 67 people on board both aircraft.

The disaster was followed by the crash of a medical plane into a busy Philadelphia neighbourhood, killing seven and injuring 19.

Last week, a small plane with ten people on board crashed as it flew between two remote settlements in Alaska. There were no survivors.