Centennial Airport midair collision caused by pilot error, ATC: NTSB says

Pilot error combined with air traffic control’s failure to warn two planes preparing to land at Centennial Airport that they were near each other are to blame for a dramatic midair collision in 2021 that caused one aircraft to crash and left another with a gaping hole in its side.

That’s according to a final investigative report by the National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency that probes airplane crashes, released last week. 

No one was injured in the May 12, 2021, collision, which happened near Cherry Creek State Park, but the NTSB’s probe revealed major concerns about aircraft congestion around Centennial Airport, which is surrounded by homes and businesses and is one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports. 

One air traffic…