What happened
On the day of the accident, two aircraft were operating under visual flight rules (VFR) in the same airspace. The first aircraft, a Learjet, departed from an uncontrolled airfield approximately two minutes prior to the collision. During its departure, the aircraft was performing a right crosswind climb and was not in communication with air traffic control. Radar tracking showed the aircraft passing through 700 feet on a heading of 242 degrees at 1141:02, later reaching 1,400 feet on a heading of 269 degrees at 1141:16, and climbing through 2,300 feet in a left turn at 1141:28.
Simultaneously, an Extra EA-300S departed from a controlled airport. This aircraft had requested and been granted a frequency change by the tower two minutes after its takeoff. Radar data indicated that the Extra EA-300S climbed to an altitude of 2,500 feet on a heading of 346 degrees before descending to 2,400 feet at 1141:25. At 1141:30, the aircraft was observed in a right turn on a heading of 360 degrees. The final radar returns for both aircraft were recorded at 1141:30, coinciding with the collision. The incident resulted in two fatalities.
Findings
Investigation of the radar data and flight paths suggests that the collision occurred while both aircraft were in the climbing phase of flight. A significant factor was the lack of communication between the Learjet and air traffic control, as the aircraft was operating from an uncontrolled airport without transmitting to ATC.