Incident Overview
On July 17, 2016, at approximately 0930 mountain daylight time, a red and white Cessna 172 airplane, registration N8184B, was substantially damaged during a mid-air collision near Emmett, Idaho. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which had departed Emmett Municipal Airport (S78) at about 0920.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, after departing runway 28, he flew a left-hand traffic pattern while climbing to 3,500 feet mean sea level. Exiting the pattern on the downwind leg, he proceeded east for approximately 2 miles and then turned northeast. About 10 minutes into the flight, he received a radio call on the airport's Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) from another aircraft stating, "aircraft east of Emmett…we almost got you." The pilot did not observe any other aircraft in his field of view and continued the flight. He landed approximately 40 minutes later and parked the airplane. While tying it down on the airport ramp, he noticed a tear in the rudder accompanied by a stretch of blue paint. The pilot reported that he had monitored the CTAF throughout the flight and heard no reports of other aircraft near Emmett. He also stated that he had not observed any damage to the rudder before departure and did not feel any sudden movement between takeoff and the time of the radio call.
Examination
A postaccident examination conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the rudder, including a lateral tear and a blue mark on the trailing edge of the control surface.
Other Aircraft Inquiry
The other aircraft involved in the collision was never identified. Review of FAA radar data from 0820 to 0840 showed three radar targets passing through the town of Emmett. Two were VFR primary targets without registration numbers. The third target, identified as N471AM, was piloted by a cross-country traveler from Cascade, Idaho, to Nampa, Idaho, who reported following a friend in a brown and orange airplane. That pilot stated he did not experience a near mid-air collision during the flight, and photographs of N471AM confirmed its paint scheme contained no blue matching the mark on N8184B’s rudder.
Regulatory Reference
The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook states: "All pilots must be alert to the potential for midair collision and near midair collisions… This concept requires that vigilance shall be maintained at all times, by each person operating an aircraft regardless of whether the operation is conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR) or visual flight rules (VFR)." It further notes that most midair collision accidents and near midair collision incidents occur in good VFR weather conditions during daylight hours, often within 5 miles of an airport and/or near navigation aids.