No fatalities

27 Nov 2015: BOEING A75N1(PT17) — Allen Chorman & Son, LLC — Farmington, DE

Farmington, DE, United States

On 27 Nov 2015, a BOEING A75N1(PT17) UNDESIGNAT operated by Allen Chorman & Son, LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Farmington, DE. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Both pilots' failure to maintain visual separation during landing at an uncontrolled airport. Contributing to the accident was the Mooney pilot's lack of prompt evasive action once the biplane had been spotted on the same runway. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

Two airplanes, a Mooney and a Boeing tail-wheel biplane, collided on the runway after landing from opposite directions at an uncontrolled field. The biplane had no radio; limited forward visibility was cited.

Incident Overview

Both aircraft arrived at the uncontrolled field and landed on opposing sides of the runway at approximately the same time. The Mooney entered the traffic pattern on a left downwind for runway 34, and its pilot reported making radio calls over the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency at each leg of the pattern. The pilot of the Boeing tail-wheel biplane entered the left 45-degree entry for downwind to runway 16, as winds appeared to favor that runway. The biplane was not equipped with a two-way radio. The biplane pilot scanned the area for traffic and did not see any other aircraft.

As the Mooney touched down on runway 34, its pilot saw the biplane on the opposite end. He stopped his airplane on the runway and observed the biplane continue to taxi toward him. When it appeared that the biplane was not going to stop, he applied power and took evasive action to the left. The biplane pilot had limited forward visibility due to the nose-high tail-wheel configuration of his aircraft. He did not see the Mooney until it passed under his right wing and the two airplanes collided.

Damage

Federal Aviation Administration inspectors arrived on scene and confirmed substantial damage to both airplanes. The Mooney's tail assembly was partially detached from the fuselage and bent 25 degrees to the left. The bottom right wing spar of the biplane was damaged.

Pilot Reports

Neither pilot reported any mechanical problems with their respective airplanes.

Contributing factors

PilotPilot of other aircraft