U.S. safety officials on Wednesday reminded pilots to look out for other planes and make their own aircraft known during flights, saying air collisions can occur if pilots are distracted by cell phones, tablets or other wireless devices. After four small-plane collisions that caused eight deaths, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an official "safety alert" advising pilots to maintain fundamental "see and avoid" vigilance by scanning for traffic throughout a flight, using lights and clearly communicating their intentions. Aviation applications on portable electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, and handheld GPS units, while useful, can lead to more head-down time." NTSB pointed to four collisions involving Piper or Cessna aircraft that have occurred over the past four years.

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