Accident Overview
A certificated private pilot and his instructor were conducting training in a Cessna 172P. The aircraft was turning left to a southeasterly heading at 3,400 feet MSL near an uncontrolled airport. In the same vicinity, a Cessna 172N on a pleasure flight was climbing on a southwesterly heading to a cruise altitude of 4,500 feet MSL. A third Cessna 172 was climbing through 3,400 feet MSL to 7,500 feet MSL on a northwest heading.
Collision
As the three aircraft merged at 3,400 feet MSL, the instrument training Cessna 172P and the pleasure flight Cessna 172N collided. The Cessna 172P's empennage was severed, and the aircraft plummeted to the ground. The impact fatally injured the instructor pilot and seriously injured the private pilot. The Cessna 172N was substantially damaged but landed without further incident. The third aircraft was not involved in the collision, and its pilot did not observe the other aircraft.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The source does not specify the registration, date, operator, or other identifying details beyond the aircraft models (Cessna 172P and Cessna 172N). The pilots involved were a certificated private pilot (receiving training) and a certificated flight instructor in the 172P, and a pilot on a pleasure flight in the 172N. The third aircraft's pilot was not involved.
Conclusion
The source provides no probable cause for the collision. It states only the factual sequence of events leading to the midair collision and the resulting injuries and damage.