11 Oct 2019: WINGTIP TO WINGTIP LLC PANZL S-330

11 Oct 2019: WINGTIP TO WINGTIP LLC PANZL S-330 — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Cedartown, GA, United States

Probable cause

***This report was modified on June 4, 2020. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.*** The departing pilot's failure to see and avoid the arriving airplane as it was turning off the runway from which the departing pilot was taking off.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The pilot in the landing airplane reported that, he had turned on the airport runway pilot-controlled lighting about 5 miles prior to arriving at the airport, and transmitted 2-mile final radio call, over the airport's CTAF. He landed the airplane and made "S" turns on runway 28 because, "it is not possible to see the opposite threshold" when established on the runway. When the pilot began a right turn to exit the runway at the mid-field taxiway, an airplane that had initiated a takeoff roll from the opposite end of the runway collided with the landing airplane. The airport's runway does not have a parallel taxiway and it is standard practice to back taxi to the departure end.

During a conversation with the IIC, the pilot in the departing airplane reported that he was performing a skydiving operation. He transmitted his intentions to taxi to the mid-field intersection and to depart runway 10. He did not activate the pilot-controlled runway lighting but recalled that he had noticed that the pilot activated lighting had been turned on, and he taxied to the hold short line and did not see any airplanes. He back taxied to the approach end of runway 10 and maneuvered his airplane to takeoff from runway 10. During the takeoff roll the left wing of his airplane struck the landing airplane.

The departing airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar.

Neither pilot recalled hearing radio transmissions on the airport's CTAF.

Both pilot's reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

  • cause Effect on operation
  • cause Pilot of other aircraft
  • cause Effect on operation
  • cause Pilot

Conditions

Weather
VMC, vis 10sm

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