What happened
A collision involving a Cessna 305E, registration N305JH, and a Piper J3/C-65, registration N804DA, occurred about two miles west of the departure airstrip. At the time of the impact, the Cessna had been airborne for approximately 11 minutes, while the Piper had been airborne for about 2 minutes.
A witness reported hearing a loud sound followed by observing both aircraft flying in a northeast direction. Upon first observation, the aircraft appeared to be flying side by side at the same altitude; the left airplane was in a slight bank and the right airplane was in a right bank. Following this, both aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed. No adverse weather conditions were reported.
Evidence indicated that during the collision, the Piper was positioned below and to the left of the Cessna. The upper surface of the Piper's left wing struck the left side of the Cessna's empennage, just forward of the left horizontal stabilizer. This impact caused damage to several longerons on the Cessna and damaged the cambered surface of the Piper's left wing.
The investigation
An examination of the airframes, engines, and flight controls for both aircraft revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Regarding pilot experience, the pilot of the Piper had logged 2.0 hours of formation flying time. The pilot of the Cessna was a military pilot who had received military flight training in formation flying.