Incident Overview
On approach to Statesboro Airport, an American AA-1A (registration N9317L) piloted by a student pilot was landing on runway 05, while a Cessna 414A (registration N47WD) piloted by a commercial pilot was landing on runway 14. The two runways intersected near their approach ends. The aircraft collided as they were about to touch down at dusk over the runway intersection.
Witness Observations
Ground witnesses reported seeing lights on the Cessna but observed no lights on the American AA-1A. Pilots of other aircraft in the area heard the student pilot announcing his position in the traffic pattern and landing intentions over the Unicom frequency. However, they did not hear any announcements from the pilot of the Cessna.
Pilot Statements
The pilot of the Cessna stated that he announced his intention to land on runway 14 over Unicom frequency 123.0. The published Unicom frequency for Statesboro Airport was 122.8.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The official findings indicated that the probable cause of the accident was an inadequate visual lookout by the pilots of both aircraft. Contributing factors included the failure of the pilot of N9317L to illuminate his aircraft's navigation lights, and improper radio communications by the pilot of N47WD, who selected the wrong Unicom frequency to monitor and announce his landing intentions and position.