After a remarkably safe year for aviation in 1986, the new year has begun with a wave of midair incidents. Three occurred last week, following a collision over Utah the week before. A total of 17 people have died.
Two of last week's collisions involved military planes. In clear skies 20 miles east of Kansas City, a civilian Piper Navajo flying under visual flight rules collided with an Army twin-engine transport, killing all five people involved. In the bright central Texas sky near Brownwood, two unarmed Air Force Phantom F-4 jets crashed while engaged in what the military called a "defensive-maneuver...
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