Incident Overview
On February 7, 2009, at approximately 1400 central standard time, a Piper 28-180 (registration N55502) and a Cessna 150K (registration N5757G) were involved in a midair collision while both were on final approach to land on runway 35 at Fairmont State Airfield (FMZ) in Fairmont, Nebraska.
Aircraft Details
The Piper 28-180 was registered to Blue Valley Flying Club, Inc., and the Cessna 150K was registered to a private individual. Each airplane had only the pilot on board. Both flights were operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as personal flights. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and neither flight had filed a flight plan.
Flight Paths
The Piper had departed from Hebron Municipal Airport (HJH) in Hebron, Nebraska, while the Cessna had departed from Crete Municipal Airport (CEK) in Crete, Nebraska.
Pilot Accounts
The pilot of the Piper (the low-wing airplane) reported being on final approach at approximately 400 feet above ground level when he felt a mild jolt and heard a noise. After touchdown, he discovered a flat tire but taxied to the ramp in that condition. He stated that he was not aware of the collision until the post-flight inspections of both aircraft.
The pilot of the Cessna (the high-wing airplane) said that he saw the other aircraft immediately after the collision. He landed second and followed the Piper to the ramp.
Damage Assessment
The Piper sustained minor damage to the left main gear wheel pant and left main tire. The Cessna sustained minor damage to both propeller tips and superficial damage to the top of the right wing.
Communications and Pattern
Both pilots reported flying a standard traffic pattern. They stated that they had been making position announcements on the Multicom radio frequency of 122.900.
Outcome
There were no injuries to either pilot.