Aircraft Tracks
The A6E was flying at 200 feet above ground level (AGL) on a magnetic heading of 033 degrees at an indicated airspeed of 468 knots, operating under visual flight rules (VFR) on published route VR-1354. Simultaneously, an agricultural aircraft (agcat) was flying at 200 feet AGL on a heading of 334 degrees at 96 knots, also VFR, crossing the route en route to its destination spray field. The two aircraft converged with a collision angle of 59 degrees and a closure speed of 429 knots.
Communications
Prior to the collision, the A6E pilot notified the Flight Service Station (FSS) that he was entering the route late and projected exiting 8 minutes after the published closure time of the route. The agcat pilot reported that he was unaware of any information or publications regarding the operation of military aircraft in the area. Additionally, the local FSS was in the habit of reporting route VR-1354 as 'hot' 24 hours a day, rather than adhering to the precise schedule.
Visual Acquisition Information
The convergence angle of the A6E relative to the agcat was 111 degrees, placing the A6E at the 8 o'clock position and behind the agcat's left wing. The convergence angle of the agcat relative to the A6E was 10 degrees. At the projected closure speed, the agcat would have subtended an angle of 0.2 degrees at 8.6 seconds before impact, while the A6E would have subtended an angle of 0.2 degrees at 19.2 seconds before impact.