Incident Overview
A midair collision occurred between a low wing Piper PA-28, registration N943R, and a high wing Cessna 150, registration N63137, approximately 1.5 miles east of an airport. The Piper was being operated by a student pilot in the left seat and a flight instructor in the right seat. The collision resulted in the Piper descending out of control and crashing, while the Cessna made an off-airport forced landing and collided with a berm during the ground roll.
Sequence of Events
The incident began when the Piper contacted the tower while 5 miles east of the airport. The tower controller advised the Piper of the Cessna at 11 o'clock, 2 miles, and instructed the pilot to fly southbound and report the aircraft in sight. The Piper pilot did not acknowledge the transmission, flew southwest bound, and never reported the Cessna in sight.
Both aircraft subsequently were on a 3-mile final approach to parallel runways. The controller, who had both aircraft in sight, issued a traffic advisory to the Cessna regarding the Piper behind them but did not issue a similar advisory to the Piper regarding the Cessna in front of them.
The Piper overtook the Cessna from above, behind, and to the right. The lower fuselage of the Piper contacted the upper fuselage and propeller of the Cessna. The Cessna's propeller severed the primary control cables of the Piper, leading to its loss of control and crash.
Aftermath
Following the collision, the Cessna executed a forced landing off-airport. During the ground roll, it collided with a berm.