Plane used by Army parachute team collides with civilian craft

MARANA, Ariz. (AP) -- An aircraft used by the Army's Golden Knights parachute team collided Friday with a civilian aircraft during a training mission near a rural airport, a military official said.

A spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command said he didn't know whether there had been any casualties.

The Golden Knights, the Army's parachute team, are based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., but had been conducting training at the Marana Airport, about 20 miles north of Tucson, said the spokesman, Douglas Smith.

He said the team does its training out of Arizona during the winter.

Marana Airport Manager Roger Dougan confirmed there had been a crash but did not give any details.

Friday's collision was the second accident around the Marana Airport involving a military aircraft in two years.

In April 2000, a Marine Osprey, a plane that can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane, crashed there, killing all 19 Marines aboard.