Incident Overview
A University of North Dakota aircraft serving as the lead of a four-aircraft formation was struck by another aircraft from the same flight. The collision occurred while the formation was in cruise flight, arranged in a loose diamond configuration. The aircraft holding the left wing position struck the lead aircraft on its left main landing gear.
Sequence of Events
All four aircraft were operated by the University of North Dakota and were en route to a collegiate flying competition. Following the impact, neither the lead aircraft nor the left wing aircraft could maintain level flight. Both aircraft executed forced landings. The remaining two aircraft in the formation were not involved in the collision.
Operator Information
The University of North Dakota operates a fleet of training aircraft. According to university officials, formation flying is not included in the institution's flight syllabus. No further details regarding the aircraft types, registration numbers, or the number of occupants were provided in the source material.