Accident Overview
On October 26, 2012, about 1650 central daylight time, a Grumman American Aviation Corp. AA-5A, registration N26380, and a Piper PA-22, registration N2633A, sustained substantial damage during a ground collision at H. L. Sonny Callahan Airport (CQF), Fairhope, Alabama. The certificated commercial pilot of the Piper, and the certificated private pilot and the passenger aboard the Grumman were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for either of the personal flights, which were conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight Operations
According to the pilot of the Grumman, he arrived at the airport around 1500 to begin the preflight inspection, which included a visual inspection of the tires. About 1620, the pilot and the passenger departed for a local flight and returned to CQF from the east. Approximately 3 to 4 miles from the airport, the pilot announced on the radio that he would cross overhead and enter the left downwind leg for landing on runway 1. After entering the traffic pattern, he observed the Piper on taxiway A2 and announced turning onto base and final legs. The pilot stated he did not hear transmissions from any other aircraft and noted the Piper remained stationary on the taxiway.
The pilot of the Grumman stated that his airplane touched down about 500 feet down the runway and rolled another 300 to 400 feet before suddenly veering left. He applied the right toe brake, which momentarily corrected the track, but the airplane continued left off the runway toward the Piper. The Grumman departed the runway south of taxiway A2, continued turning left, and its left wing contacted the Piper's propeller. The Grumman then pivoted left, and its propeller contacted the Piper's wing. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot noted his left tire appeared flat.
The pilot of the Piper reported that after an uneventful preflight and engine run-up, he approached the runway from taxiway A2. After hearing no other traffic on the common traffic advisory frequency, he turned his airplane to gain an unobstructed view of the final approach path and observed the Grumman on final. He stopped his airplane about 75 feet short of the runway edge to wait for the Grumman to land and watched as it touched down, veered left, struck a taxiway marker, and impacted the Piper.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined both airplanes and determined each sustained substantial damage. The inspector examined the brake system of the Grumman and found they appeared to operate normally, with no evidence of binding, uneven wear, or scoring. The flat left tire was removed from the wheel, and a small 1/4-inch gash was noted on the tire tube. No visible marks, debris, or puncture were noted on the tire. The area of the tire covering the gash displayed some wrinkling. It could not be determined whether this damage occurred prior to or during the collision.
Airport and Weather Information
The single asphalt runway at CQF is 6,604 feet long by 100 feet wide, configured in a 1/19 orientation. A parallel taxiway spans the full length of the runway on the west side. Taxiway A1 is at the southernmost end, at the runway 1 threshold. Taxiway A2 intersects the runway about 1,000 feet beyond the threshold. The airport has no local air traffic control tower. Weather at 1655 reported winds from 320 degrees magnetic at 5 knots, clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 28°C, dewpoint 18°C, and altimeter 29.89 inches of mercury.