What happened
A mid-air collision occurred involving two aircraft during a local test flight originating from Wichita Airport. The flight was being conducted by the pilot of one aircraft, who was accompanied by a second aircraft for the purpose of performing visual inspections of each other's undersides. During this maneuver, the two planes collided while in flight.
Following the impact, both aircraft lost control and crashed into a field situated in Arlington, Kansas. The incident resulted in two injuries, with the pilot of the Chancellor sustaining critical injuries. The other pilot involved also sustained injuries during the crash.
Findings
The investigation determined that the collision took place while the aircraft were in a normal cruise phase. The primary factor was an in-flight collision resulting from a failure to maintain sufficient separation. Additional contributing elements noted during the investigation included the fact that the aircraft were not under radar contact and were operating outside of a controlled airspace.