LeRoy Sabatelli, Jack Baer and Jack Deye, whose addresses were unavailable, were taken to University Hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, said Sgt. Pete Combs of the Hamilton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Sabatelli, 79, was in serious condition, Deye was in fair condition and Baer's condition was not available.

Baer and Sabatelli were riding in a Cessna 172, and Deye was piloting a Cessna 152 when the accident happened about 4:45 p.m.

Combs said the planes were practicing landings when they crashed into one another about 300 to 400 feet in the air and began to spin to the ground. An airport manager saw what was about to happen but was unable to warn the pilots in time.

Cincinnati State owns the airport, which is home to the college's federally-approved aviation maintenance associate's degree program, according to the school's Web site. The airport is non-controlled, meaning pilots are responsible for communicating with and looking out for other planes.

Tim Bayne, a flight instructor at the airport, said he witnessed the collision. He said the landing gear of one plane struck the top of the other plane.

"They seemed to lock up and flat-spin down to the ground," Bayne said.

Harrison Police Chief Chuck Lindsey said officers found three people outside the aircraft.

The wreckage caught fire, and one of the planes was crushed. Its cockpit was destroyed, but the wings were visible. The other plane remained largely intact, but its front end was blackened.

A number of spectators circled the edge of the gravel pit after the crash. One of them, Mike Dreyer, said he came from his home about a quarter-mile away but did not see the accident.

Dreyer said training flights originate from the nearby airport and routinely pass over his home without incident.

"They fly right over my house," he said. "Nothing like this has happened around here for a long time."