ULTRA LIGHT ACFT PLT AND BEECH BARON COLLIDED AT A LIGHT ARPT SPORT FIELD.

Date: 2002-03 · Aircraft: Ultralight · Phase: approach

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical

Synopsis

ULTRA LIGHT ACFT PLT AND BEECH BARON COLLIDED AT A LIGHT ARPT SPORT FIELD.

Narrative

THERE ARE 2 ACTIVE RWYS. ONE IS PAVED AND USED PRIMARILY BY JUMP PLANES. THE OTHER IS AN ULTRA LIGHT FIELD AND LIGHT SPORT ACFT FIELD. THE PLT OF A BEECH BARON HAD JUST MADE A LOW PASS TO THE N OVER THE PAVED STRIP BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE '3 IN THE GREEN.' GND OBSERVERS CONFIRMED THAT ALL GEAR WERE DOWN SO THE PLT MADE A GAR; BUT DIDN'T CLB TO PATTERN ALT OF 2400 FT. I HAD JUST TAKEN OFF TOWARD THE S IN LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS FROM THE DIRT STRIP AND TURNED TO A W XWIND. I WAS DOING A SHALLOW ACCENT OUT OF THE ULTRA LIGHT PATTERN WHICH IS INSIDE AND 500 FT BELOW THE GA PATTERN. MY WINGMAN; IN AN EXPERIMENTAL ULTRA LIGHT HAD DEPARTED BEFORE ME AND RADIOED ON 122.75 THAT HE HAD SEEN TFC BELOW AND BEHIND HIM. I LOOKED TO MY 3 O'CLOCK POS AND SAW THE BEECH SLIPPING UNDER ME LEAVING ME A SPLIT SECOND TO REACT. HE SAID HE HAD SEEN ME ALSO AND HAD JUST PUSHED FORWARD AS WE PASSED. I FELT A THUMP AND MY ACFT ROLLED TO THE L AND I RECOVERED CTL AFTER DSNDING APPROX 100 FT. I DID NOT NOTICE ANY DIFFICULTY IN CTLING THE ACFT AND MY WINGMAN SAW NO DAMAGE SO I OPTED TO RETURN TO THE DIRT ULTRA LIGHT STRIP. WE LOOKED OVER MY ACFT AND COULD SEE NO DAMAGE. AT THIS TIME I THOUGHT THE THUMP I FELT MAY HAVE BEEN VORTEX OR JUST WIND BLAST FROM THE CLOSE PASS. THEN SOMEONE CAME DOWN FROM THE MGMNT OFFICE AND ASKED IF I HAD BEEN IN A MIDAIR. HE SAID THE BEECH PLT SAID HE HAD HIT SOMEONE. I SPOKE WITH THE BEECH PLT AND LOOKED OVER HIS ACFT. HE HAD A BLACK TIRE MARK ON HIS RUDDER; NOT THE VERT STABILIZER. THERE WAS A SLIGHT DENT IN THE RUDDER. HE SAID HE HAD NO FLT CTL PROBS AFTER THE INCIDENT. WE WERE BOTH VERY LUCKY! BOTH PLTS ARE BOTH FAMILIAR WITH THE OPS AT THIS ARPT. ACFT DEPARTING THE ULTRA LIGHT STRIP STAY LOW UNTIL WE ARE BEYOND THE GA PATTERN AND WATCH FOR GA ACFT. PLTS FLYING THE GA STRIP FLY 1000 FT AGL AND WATCH FOR ULTRA LIGHTS. THE ULTRA LIGHTS WHO DO USE RADIOS USE THEIR OWN FREQ AND THE ACFT USING THE MAIN PAVED STRIP USE 122.775.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.