Overview
A midair collision occurred between a Cessna 152 and a Cessna 172 while both aircraft were flying between 800 and 1,000 feet above the ocean in an established student training practice area. The flight instructors and their respective students lost control of their airplanes, which subsequently descended into the ocean and sank.
Witness Accounts
An eyewitness aboard a ship observed the two airplanes seconds before the collision. The witness stated that "one plane appeared to bank and turn directly into the other plane." Another witness, who was airborne in a helicopter, reported that before the impact he had observed one of the airplanes performing counterclockwise orbits, describing the maneuver as similar to a turn about a point ground reference exercise. This airplane had completed several circles when it collided with another airplane that was flying in a westerly direction.
Impact Damage and Trajectory
The collision occurred on a near head-on trajectory. This determination was based on the severity of impact damage to the leading edge of the Cessna 152's right wing, the lack of impact damage to the Cessna 172's aft fuselage and empennage, the witness statements, and the locations where the airplanes were found (the Cessna 152 was west of the Cessna 172).
Recovery and Investigation
Neither the Cessna 152's empennage nor the Cessna 172's engine was recovered. Radar tracks for the airplanes could not be determined.