What happened
During daytime flight under visual meteorological conditions, two high-wing aircraft collided while cruising at approximately 1,000 feet above mean sea level. The aircraft involved were a Cessna 207 and a Cessna 175. Both pilots were operating under visual flight rules and were not in contact with air traffic control at the time of the incident.
The pilot of the Cessna 175 reported that while making position updates, he observed another aircraft passing below him. He then noticed the shadow of a second aircraft approaching his own. Upon looking forward, the pilot saw the spinner of the approaching plane through his windscreen and attempted an immediate evasive maneuver by pulling back on the control yoke, but the collision occurred regardless. Following the impact, the Cessna 207 entered an uncontrolled descent into a river. The Cessna 175 sustained damage but remained airworthy, allowing the pilot to complete the flight and land safely at an airport.
Findings
Post-accident inspections of both aircraft showed impact marks indicating a nearly head-on collision. The accident took place in the Matanuska Susitna Valley, an area where the FAA had previously implemented specific geographic common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) zones to manage traffic flow. At the location of the crash, the frequency changeover point required westbound traffic to use 122.70 MHz and eastbound traffic to use 122.90 MHz.
While the pilot of the Cessna 175 was monitoring 122.90 MHz, it could not be confirmed if the pilot of the Cessna 207 was monitoring the appropriate local frequency. Because the radio equipment from the Cessna 207 was not recovered, investigators could not determine the communication status of that aircraft during the flight.