U.S. pilot, Scott Veal, 24, died in a collision with his girlfriend's plane, while they were flying together to Bethel.

The pilots took off from different destinations; both flying alone in separate planes, but they met up in the air on their way to Bethel.

Kristen Sprague, 26, flying a Cessna 207, and Veal’s plane collided in mid-air when they were communicating via radio.

While Kristen made an emergency landing, Veal couldn’t; his Cessna 208 burst into flames, leaving him dead on the spot.

The two pilots took off from different western Alaska villages on Friday.

According to ABC News report, Veal’s plane crashed near a village around 400 miles west of Anchorage, said Clinton Johnson, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator.

Kristen saw Veal’s plane spiral down, hit the tundra, and burst into flames, Johnson said.

However, she managed to land her plane safely, just about a mile away.

Kristen remembered saying over the radio that she was not able to see him and suddenly she saw Veal’s airplane strike her right wing, said Johnson.

“It is too early in the investigation to say whether pilot error was a factor in the crash,” he added.

Safety