# Accident 19971004030052A: Waco CTO, Cloverdale, IN, October 4, 1997 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 4, 1997, 15:54 local time - Place: Cloverdale, IN - Airport: Pams Place - Damage: Substantial damage - Collision: Midair collision, second aircraft - Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 39.5196° N, 86.7906° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5196&lon=-86.7906&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9577H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9577H) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Waco CTO (registry code 9601214, https://openairdocs.org/model/waco-cto) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Wright 760A B D E&ET (registry code 67009, https://openairdocs.org/engine/wright-760a-b-d-e-et) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: WACO CTO - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA008) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971004030052A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. WHILE BACK TAXIING ON 28 COLLIDED WITH N75511 THAT WAS DEPARTING ON SAME RUNWAY. (-23) ON OCTOBER 4, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 2030 UTC, TWO AIRCRAFT, A BOEING-STEARMAN N75511, AND A WACO-CTO NC9577H, COLLIDED ON RUNWAY 28 AT PAM'S PLACE AIRPORT (78I). THE WACO, PILOTED BY MR. THOMAS S. LOZIER OF FISHERS, IN, WAS BACK TAXIING RUNAY 28 AFTER LANDING. AT THE SAME TIME THE STEARMAN, PILOTED BY MR. ROGER A. NEWMAN OF GREENWOOD, IN, DEPARTED THE RAMP AREA NORTH OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 28, HAVING DISCHARGED ONE PASSENGER AND PICKED UP ANOTHER, THEN TAXIED ONTO RUNWAY 28 FOR DEPARTURE. DUE TO THE LIMITED VISIBILITY INHERENT TO THE CONFIGURATION OF BOTH BIPLANE AIRCRAFT DURING GROUND OPERATIONS, AND ALSO THE INABILITY TO SEE THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY FROM THE APPROACH END DUE TO A PRONOUNCED RISE OF THE TERRAIN AT APPROXIMATELY THE MIDPOINT, THE STEARMAN PILOT COMPLETED SEVERAL "S-TURNS" PRIOR TO COMMENCING HIS TAKEOFF ROLL ON RUNWAY 28 WITHOUT SEEING THE WACO BACK TAXIING UP THE RUNWAY. THE WACO PILOT HAVING CHECKED THE TRAFFIC PATTEN FOR THE OTHER AIRCRAFT AND FACED WITH A SIMILAR SITUATION FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY FAILED TO SEE THE STEARMAN APPROACHING DURING ITS TAKEOFF ROLL. AT APPROXIMATELY THE MID POINT OF THE RUNWAY THE TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE POINT OF IMPACT BEING CONCENTRATED IN THE LEFT WING AREAS OF BOTH AIRCRAFT. THE WACO SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ITS UPPER AND LOWER LEFT WINGS. THE STEARMAN, UNDER TAKEOFF POWER, SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ITS UPPER AND LOWER LEFT WINGS AND RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR. BOTH AIRCRAFT CONTAINED A PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER; HOWEVER, NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY ANY OF THE OCCUPANTS OF EITHER AIRCRAFT. ## Other aircraft in the event - N75511, Boeing B75N1: [Accident 19971004030051A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971004030051A) ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI98LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA008), Oct 4, 1997: Waco CTO (N9577H), Cloverdale, IN, substantial damage. Probable cause: the Boeing pilot failed to identify the Waco airplane on the runway before initiating a takeoff. Factors related to the accident were: the restricted forward visibility of both pilots due to the… ## Other reports on N9577H (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20031007029359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031007029359A), Oct 7, 2003: Waco CTO (N9577H), Greenfield, IN, Destroyed. (-23) Principal maintenance inspector's statement: on October 8, 2003 inspectors from this office were dispatched to investigate an accident near greenville,… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.