What happened
On October 20, 2019, at General Pico Aerodrome in La Pampa, Argentina, a ground collision occurred involving two aircraft during an airshow festival. The first aircraft, a Pitts S-2B with registration LV-RBW, had just completed a 30-minute aerobatic display. Following the performance, the flight crew exited the runway via taxiway B. Due to the cockpit structure of the Pitts S-2B, the pilot had significantly restricted forward visibility and was taxiing along the left edge of the taxiway to avoid exhaust gases from a previously landed jet aircraft.
Simultaneously, a Cessna A-182-K, registration LV-JBJ, was positioned on the same taxiway with its engine running, awaiting tower authorization to enter the runway for a passenger flight. As the LV-RBW proceeded, it struck the stationary LV-JBJ. The collision resulted in moderate damage to the left wings of both aircraft, though no injuries were reported among the crews.
The investigation
The investigation by the JST focused on the coordination efforts leading up to the event. While a pre-event meeting had been held to establish operational procedures, the JST found that these agreements were not documented, leading to conflicting interpretations of the flight plan. Specifically, there was no consensus on which taxiways should be used for runway entry and exit, or at what point aircraft could begin taxiing during the aerobatic displays.
Communication failures were also identified. The LV-JBJ was operating on the aerodrome tower frequency (119.0 MHz), while the LV-RBW was using an internal squadron frequency (134.8 MHz). This discrepancy prevented the pilot of the LV-RBW from hearing warnings from the tower or the pilot of the LV-JBJ regarding the imminent collision. Furthermore, the investigation noted that the airshow lacked an experienced Operational Chief to coordinate the complex sequence of events.
Findings
- The primary cause of the collision was the lack of standardized procedures regarding taxiway usage and runway clearance protocols.
- Conflicting interpretations of the pre-event briefing led the flight leader to exit via taxiway B, while the tower authorized the LV-JBX to use the same path.
- The pilot of the LV-RBW was unable to see the obstacle due to the inherent limited forward visibility of the aircraft type during ground operations.
- The use of different radio frequencies by the involved aircraft prevented effective warning communications.
- The absence of a dedicated, experienced Operational Chief for the festival contributed to degraded operational safety.