Incident Overview
On the morning of the accident, two aircraft were involved in a collision on Runway 14 at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ). The incident involved registration N89827, which was taking off from the approach end of the runway, and registration N79960, which entered the runway from Taxiway F. The impact occurred near the 6,000-foot remaining marker, resulting in immediate fire and structural damage to both aircraft.
Sequence of Events
At 1024:46, the pilot of N89827 requested a visual flight rules departure from the Dolphin Aviation ramp. Ground control instructed the aircraft to taxi to Runway 14 via Taxiway A. Shortly after, at 1028:03, the pilot of N79960 reported being ready to taxi from the Jones Aviation ramp. The supervisor/ground controller (SGC) cleared N79960 to taxi to Runway 14 but annotated the flight progress strip to indicate positioning for takeoff from the approach end, despite the aircraft's origin suggesting an intersection departure.
At 1030:42, N89827 reported ready for takeoff. At 1032:46, N79960 also reported ready for takeoff. The local controller (LC), relying on the flight progress strip data, believed N79960 was positioned at the approach end of Runway 14. Consequently, after clearing another aircraft, the LC cleared N89827 for takeoff at 1034:43. Just four seconds later, at 1034:51, the LC instructed N79960 to taxi into position and hold on Runway 14.
Collision Dynamics
Witnesses reported that as N89827 reached takeoff speed, N79960 entered the runway from Taxiway F on the left side. N89827 lifted off and turned right in an apparent attempt to avoid the collision but appeared to stall. The aircraft impacted the top of N79960 at the Taxiway F intersection. N89827's propeller struck N79960's aft cabin roof, wing flaps, and fuel tanks, causing an immediate fire. Both aircraft came to rest inverted approximately 75 feet down the runway from the initial impact point.