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Plane With Half a Cabin Gone After Mid-Air Crash Is the Definition of Pure Luck

You’re not alone in thinking that the world can sometimes feel like a very bad place, where only bad stuff happens. This story will drive away all the potential gloom: here’s what good luck looks like in a few photos.
Fairchild Metroliner lands safely after mid-air collision with another plane 5 photos
Photo: YouTube/Denver7
Fairchild Metroliner lands safely after mid-air collision with another planeCirrus SR22 crashes after mid-air collision with Fairchild MetrolinerCirrus SR22 crashes after mid-air collision with Fairchild MetrolinerFairchild Metroliner lands safely after mid-air collision with another plane
Good luck played a part, but so did technology. Two small airplanes collided in mid-air near Denver, Colorado, earlier this week, ABC affiliate Denver7 reports. Both took considerable damage, yet both could make it on the ground without injury to the occupants. The photos in the gallery above, as well as the video below, will give you an idea of just how badly this could have ended, but didn’t.

According to authorities, the collision occurred as both aircraft were preparing to land. The smaller of the planes, a Cirrus SR22 single-engine, crashed immediately, but both pilot and passenger walked away unhurt because Cirrus planes have emergency parachutes. Cirrus includes a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, or CAPS, a ballistic rocket-fired parachute, in every single-engine aircraft it makes. In this particular case, like in many others before, it saved the lives of those on board.

The other, bigger plane was a twin-engine Fairchild Metroliner, and it was able to land at Centennial Airport although it was missing a big chunk of its cabin. That, too, is a testament to the solid, high-quality build of the plane. The only person on board, the pilot, was not hurt either.

Denver7 says that the Cirrus plane is operated by a Colorado-based flight school, while the other is property of Key Lime Air, a cargo and passenger line also from Colorado, with a less-than-stellar track record. In recent years, it’s been featured in the news multiple times for crashes.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the causes of the latest accident.



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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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