What happened
At approximately 0612 Eastern Standard Time, the owner of Piper PA-23 N2185P, who was also an Eastern Airline captain, departed a runway near his residence under visual flight rules to commute to his workplace in Tampa, Florida. Shortly after takeoff, he contacted a Flight Service Station to update the weather information he had obtained the previous evening. The current conditions at Tampa included an indefinite ceiling with zero visibility obscured by fog, and a visibility of 1/16 mile. Runway visual range for runway 36L was reported between 1000 feet and 1600 feet.
Prior to the arrival of N2185P, two other flights had diverted from Tampa because the weather conditions were below minimums. Upon arriving at the airport, the pilot of N2185P initiated two instrument landing system approaches for landing. During the first attempt, he executed a missed approach and elected to return for another try.
When cleared for the second ILS approach, the runway visual range had decreased to 600 feet in the touchdown area and 1000 feet at midfield. The decision height and minimum runway visual range for the approach were 200 feet and 1800 feet, respectively, for Category A, B, and C aircraft. Subsequently, the Piper PA-23 touched down on a parallel taxiway and collided with Boeing 727 N4743, which was being taxied for takeoff.
The crew of the Boeing 727 did not see the Piper until it was approximately 500 feet away. The captain of the Boeing attempted to steer right but was unable to avoid the collision. The aircraft involved were Piper PA-23 and Boeing 727. No specific injury or fatality counts are provided in the source text for this summary, though the event resulted in a significant ground collision.
The investigation
The source text does not provide detailed mechanical examination findings or investigative procedures beyond the factual narrative of the event. The focus remains on the operational sequence and weather conditions at the time of the accident.
Findings
Contributing factors included the pilot's decision to continue approaches in weather conditions that were significantly below minimums. The runway visual range during the second approach was 600 feet, well below the required 1800 feet for Category A, B, and C aircraft. The pilot had been aware of the deteriorating weather conditions through updates from a Flight Service Station and knowledge that other flights had diverted due to low visibility.
The collision occurred because the Piper PA-23 landed on a taxiway instead of the runway. The Boeing 727 crew was unable to see the Piper in time to avoid impact, despite attempting evasive action. The weather conditions, specifically dense fog and extremely low visibility, played a critical role in the inability of both crews to maintain situational awareness regarding each other's positions.