19951014041061I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mrchti SF260 · Las Vegas, NV · October 14, 1995

Date: October 14, 1995 · 14:50 local
Place: Las Vegas, NV
Airport: North Las Vegas Air Terminal
Phase of flight: Formation Flying
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision: Midair collision, first aircraft
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N406FD
Reported as: Mrchti SF260
Reported engine: Lycoming O540E4A5
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,500 total23 in this make and model255 in the last 90 days

N406FDRegistered now · Agusta F.260DS/N 771 · Built 1990 Airframe modelAgusta F.260D Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: this aircraft was the lead aircraft in a flight of two conducting simulated air combat operations. While in formation flight, this aircraft lost sight of the trail aircraft and the trail aircraft lost sight of the lead aircraft and the two aircraft contacted each other causing damage to a wing tip tank on each aircraft and minor propeller damage to the lead aircraft. Both aircraft landed safely at the north Las Vegas airport (vgt) and reported the incident. NTSB was notified and once the damage was determined, occurrence was determined to be an incident. The air combat company, desert aces, operates under a waiver for FAR 91.111(c) issued by the las FSDO on August 2, 1995. This company has also changed its standard operating procedures to not allow close formation to prevent any further occurrences recognizing that this incident could have easily been a major accident. No deviation. No violation. This incident is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THIS AIRCRAFT WAS THE LEAD AIRCRAFT IN A FLIGHT OF TWO CONDUCTING SIMULATED AIR COMBAT OPERATIONS. WHILE IN FORMATION FLIGHT, THIS AIRCRAFT LOST SIGHT OF THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT AND THE TRAIL AIRCRAFT LOST SIGHT OF THE LEAD AIRCRAFT AND THE TWO AIRCRAFT CONTACTED EACH OTHER CAUSING DAMAGE TO A WING TIP TANK ON EACH AIRCRAFT AND MINOR PROPELLER DAMAGE TO THE LEAD AIRCRAFT. BOTH AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY AT THE NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT (VGT) AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT. NTSB WAS NOTIFIED AND ONCE THE DAMAGE WAS DETERMINED, OCCURRENCE WAS DETERMINED TO BE AN INCIDENT. THE AIR COMBAT COMPANY, DESERT ACES, OPERATES UNDER A WAIVER FOR FAR 91.111(C) ISSUED BY THE LAS FSDO ON AUGUST 2, 1995. THIS COMPANY HAS ALSO CHANGED ITS STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES TO NOT ALLOW CLOSE FORMATION TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER OCCURRENCES RECOGNIZING THAT THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT. NO DEVIATION. NO VIOLATION. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.