2 killed in Marana plane crash identified

Authorities have released the identity of two people who died in a plane crash last month at the Marana airport.

Michael Reinath, 70, and Linda Gifford, 76, were killed Feb. 19 after two small planes — a Lancair 360 MK II and a Cessna 172 — collided midair at Marana Regional Airport on West Avra Valley Road, west of Interstate-10, Marana police said.

Reinath, a former NASA engineer, and Gifford lived in Rio Vista, California.

The Lancair involved in the crash was registered to Reinath, according to the FFA registry.

A plane occupied by a flight instructor and a student landed uneventfully after the collision.

Reinath’s aircraft, however, hit the ground near a runway and caught fire.

The investigation continues.