What happened
On the day of the accident, two aircraft were operating in the vicinity of an airport where a stop was scheduled. The first aircraft, a PA-28 with registration N4512Z, was traveling westbound at a steady altitude of approximately 1,000 feet above ground level. Simultaneously, a Cessna T207A, registration N6383H, was performing aerial photography maneuvers involving left turns and had recently started a turn toward the east.
During these maneuvers, the left wings of both aircraft made contact. Eyewitness accounts suggest that the pilot of the PA-28 attempted an evasive maneuver by initiating a climbing right turn roughly two seconds before the impact occurred. Following the collision, both planes continued past one another and entered a spiral descent toward the ground. The incident resulted in three fatalities, as all occupants on both aircraft were killed.
Findings
At the time of the collision, the weather was characterized by clear skies with visibility limited to 3 miles due to haze. Neither the PA-28 nor the Cessna T207A was in communication with any FAA facility via radio or radar at the time of the event. The collision was caused by the interception of flight paths during the photography maneuvers.