# Incident 19951014041061I: Mrchti SF260, Las Vegas, NV, October 14, 1995

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 14, 1995, 14:50 local time
- Place: Las Vegas, NV
- Airport: North Las Vegas Air Terminal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Collision: Midair collision, first aircraft
- Phase of flight: Formation Flying
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.1750° N, 115.1372° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Las Vegas, NV, within about 7 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1750&lon=-115.1372&mi=10
- Aircraft: N406FD, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N406FD) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Agusta F.260D (registry code 0260402, https://openairdocs.org/model/agusta-f-260d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MRCHTI SF260
- Reported engine: LYC O540E4A5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 5,500 total, 23 in this make and model, 255 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19951014041061I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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