What happened
On Saturday, June 7, 1997, at 12:15 local time, a ground collision occurred at the Falaise aerodrome in France. Two vintage aircraft, arriving from Jersey to participate in a static display for a classic aircraft rally, were involved in the incident.
After the Piper PA 12 (registration G-AWPW) completed its landing on the unpaved runway, the pilot began a right-hand turn to taxi toward the parking area located at the edge of the runway. During this maneuver, the aircraft was struck on its front right section by the left wing of a De Havilland DHC 1 Chipmunk 22 A (registration G-APLO). The Chipmunk had landed behind the Piper shortly before the impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the movements of both aircraft on the unpaved runway and the visibility conditions for the pilots. It was noted that the De Havilland DHC 1 Chipmunk 22 A is equipped with a conventional landing gear (taildragger) configuration, which inherently limits the pilot's forward visibility during taxiing. At the time of the event, both pilots were monitoring the local self-information radio frequency.
Findings
- The collision was caused by the landing on an occupied runway.
- The configuration of the De Havilland DHC 1 Chipmunk 22 A contributed to the incident due to the restricted forward visibility characteristic of taildragger aircraft.
- Both aircraft sustained damage during the impact, and there were no fatalities among the four occupants involved (two persons on each aircraft).