F-16, Cessna planes collide midair in South Carolina, killing two

CHARLESTON, S.C., July 7 (UPI) -- A fighter plane and a small private plane collided in midair Tuesday morning near Charleston, S.C., killing two people the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The pilot of the fighter plane, an F-16, ejected safely, and the plane, emitting toxic fumes of hydrazine, part of its fuel, was located. The pilot, who was taken to a hospital for evaluation, was identified as Air Force Maj. Aaron Johnson, a pilot from Shaw Air Force Base.

The private plane, a Cessna, was also located, and the NTSB said two people on board the aircraft were dead, NBC News reported.

First responders located a debris field, with wreckage strewn across an area known locally as the Mulberry Plantation. Berkeley County, S.C., spokesman Michael Mule confirmed a crash at another location, the Lewisfield Plantation.

The collision occurred about 11 miles north of the city of Charleston. No one on the ground was injured in the incident.