Midair Collision · NTSB WPR14FA174
HAWKER SEA FURY TMK 20 — Richmond, CA
| Date | April 27, 2014 |
| Location | Richmond, CA |
| Aircraft | HAWKER SEA FURY TMK 20 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Midair collision |
| Pilot age | 52 |
| Pilot total time | 5,646 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 143 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-(general)-Pilot of other aircraft - F
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Pilot of other aircraft - C
What happened
The Sea Fury pilot and the Cessna pilot had flown their airplanes to a nearby airport to display them at an open house. The two pilots then briefed the return flights with each other and determined their flight routes. The Sea Fury departed, flew over the airport, and rendezvoused with another airplane for a photo shoot. They flew several 360-degree patterns, and the Sea Fury pilot observed the Cessna during one of his turns, and noted that it was on the briefed course. He completed the photo work and set his course for the return to their home airport.
The Sea Fury pilot made radio contact with the Cessna pilot on a common, briefed frequency, and the Cessna pilot responded with his position. The Sea Fury pilot made visual contact with the Cessna forward and to the left, and the Cessna pilot responded that he had visual contact of the Sea Fury. The Cessna's airspeed was about 150 knots, and the Sea Fury's airspeed was about 200 knots. Approaching from well behind, the Sea Fury pilot advised the Cessna pilot that the Sea Fury was low and to the left. The Cessna pilot acknowledged visual contact again and broadcast that he wanted to take a picture. The Sea Fury pilot replied that there would probably not be time due to the speed differential. The Sea Fury pilot observed the trajectory and flight profile of the Cessna abruptly change to a left roll so that he could see the top of the Cessna's wing. The Sea Fury pilot attempted to avoid the Cessna by pitching his airplane nose down; however, he felt and heard a thump and realized that the two airplanes had collided. He pulled up and looked over his shoulder; he observed the Cessna inverted and going down. He squawked code 7700 on the transponder, and, due to communications issues, reported the midair collision and position of the Cessna to air traffic control via relay by another aircraft pilot.
The Sea Fury pilot initiated a climb, and conducted a controllability check; he determined that he could control the airplane in the current configuration. He continued to his home airport and made a successful full-stop landing.
The Sea Fury pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the Sea Fury and the recovered portions of the Cessna did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplanes.
The last couple of minutes of data points from a GPS unit in the Cessna indicated a northeasterly track at GPS-derived groundspeeds of about 150 knots. The last few data points indicated that the airplane began to descend with varied groundspeeds, and the final data point was 212 knots at 854 ft. A review of recorded radar data showed two targets with one target approaching from behind and low. As the targets merged, the data points could not be attributed to either airplane because they were within the accuracy limits of the transmitting/recording systems.