Incident Overview
A Cessna 172 and a Beechcraft 95 were involved in a midair collision while operating in the vicinity of Hale County Airport in Plainview, Texas. The aircraft were on different approach paths and using different radio frequencies at the time of the collision. Following the collision, both aircraft landed safely.
Communication Errors
The pilot of the Cessna 172 was receiving traffic advisories en route to Plainview. The pilot was given the traffic advisory frequency for Hale County Airport as 120.7. However, the pilot copied the frequency as 127.7 and contacted Fort Worth Center instead. No further attempts were made to obtain the correct frequency. The Cessna pilot reported pattern positions on the UNICOM frequency of 122.95. Meanwhile, the Beechcraft 95 was making a modified straight-in approach and was making position reports on the correct traffic advisory frequency of 120.7.
Collision and Aftermath
The two aircraft collided. After the collision, both aircraft landed safely. The tower at Hale County Airport had been closed as a result of a shortage of controllers.