What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The pilot privacy data omitted was in aircraft no. 4 of a four ship formation flight. The accident occurred after landing on runway 27R at Gillespie airport during the roll out phase. The pilot privacy data omitted was trailing about two thousand feet behind ship no. 3 and the formation group was cleared to land. Ship no. 3 was still rolling out ahead of him on the runway. He landed last and rolled out without maintaining visual contact with that aircraft. The conventional landing gear, tail low attitude complicated by the large radial engine and the cowl configuration aggravated his ability to maintain forward vision. He slowed his aircraft to a speed of about 2-5 mph on landing roll out and began to yaw left to look for his fellow formation partner. He overtook and saw the tail of the aircraft he was behind at the same time that his prop and right wing struck the rudder and left horizontal stabilizer.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS IN AIRCRAFT NO. 4 OF A FOUR SHIP FORMATION FLIGHT. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER LANDING ON RUNWAY 27R AT GILLESPIE AIRPORT DURING THE ROLL OUT PHASE. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS TRAILING ABOUT TWO THOUSAND FEET BEHIND SHIP NO. 3 AND THE FORMATION GROUP WAS CLEARED TO LAND. SHIP NO. 3 WAS STILL ROLLING OUT AHEAD OF HIM ON THE RUNWAY. HE LANDED LAST AND ROLLED OUT WITHOUT MAINTAINING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THAT AIRCRAFT. THE CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR, TAIL LOW ATTITUDE COMPLICATED BY THE LARGE RADIAL ENGINE AND THE COWL CONFIGURATION AGGRAVATED HIS ABILITY TO MAINTAIN FORWARD VISION. HE SLOWED HIS AIRCRAFT TO A SPEED OF ABOUT 2-5 MPH ON LANDING ROLL OUT AND BEGAN TO YAW LEFT TO LOOK FOR HIS FELLOW FORMATION PARTNER. HE OVERTOOK AND SAW THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT HE WAS BEHIND AT THE SAME TIME THAT HIS PROP AND RIGHT WING STRUCK THE RUDDER AND LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.