Accident Summary
A Piper airplane and a Cessna tail-wheeled airplane were involved in a collision while maneuvering near a runway at an airport without an operating control tower. The Piper pilot had attempted a landing earlier but aborted due to being too high on approach. After re-entering the left-hand traffic pattern, the pilot announced positions on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF).
Sequence of Events
The pilot of the Piper, on final approach for a second landing attempt, observed a tail-wheeled airplane "about to get onto runway 32." The pilot assumed the airplane would remain on the runway until after he landed and continued the approach. Shortly after passing over the runway threshold, the pilot heard the sound of another airplane's engine and immediately felt an impact. The Piper pilot then performed a forced landing to the runway, touching down hard, which collapsed the right main landing gear assembly; the Piper came to rest upright on a taxiway. The Cessna came to rest in a nose-down attitude off the right side of the runway.
Examination Findings
Examination of the approach end area revealed trees lining the taxiway that paralleled the runway. These trees visually obscured aircraft flying left-hand traffic patterns for runway 32. Traffic in the air was not visible to a person facing southeast until the aircraft turned onto final approach. The Piper pilot did not recall hearing any transmissions from the Cessna on the CTAF frequency, although he heard transmissions from other aircraft.
Regulatory References
The Aeronautical Information Manual (paragraph 4-1-9) advises pilots at airports without control towers to monitor and communicate on the appropriate frequency from startup through taxi until 10 miles from the airport. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91.113 states that aircraft on final approach to land have the right-of-way over other aircraft in flight or on the surface.
No probable cause has been determined by the investigation.