20220820020162A

Investigation. The pilot of landing airplane completed a passenger ride, finishing up at around 1,500 ft AGL near the airport. He checked the pattern for other aircraft while making a few steep turns. Seeing that the pattern was clear, he approached the northern end of the runway in a shallow dive and made a low pass at approximately 100 to 200 feet AGL over the right side of the runway, heading to the south. The low pass was not observed by the departing pilot, waiting to depart, nor was the landing airplane's entry to the downwind for landing.

The procedure for pattern operations at the time of the incident was to make a low pass before landing to signal to departing aircraft that the pilot intended to land. When an airplane on the ground observes the low pass by the airplane intending to land, they are required to hold short of the end of the runway until the landing airplane has landed and cleared the runway, then they are allow to depart. This procedure has been a long-standing procedure in effect at the airport due to the fact that there is a mix of airplanes that operate there that are not radio equipped.

At the time of the accident, the pilot waiting to depart, was the second airplane sitting at the end of the runway in sequence for takeoff. Upon departure of the airplane preceeding him, he checked the traffic pattern for other airplanes. Observing none, and believing the runway and approach path to be clear, he taxied into postion and began his takeoff run.

Landing airplane on final, as yet not observed by airplane waiting to depart, approached the trees at the approach end of the runway, he also again observed that the runway ahead of appeared to be clear and initiated his final descent for landing as he passed over the trees on the approach end of the runway.

As departing airplane accelerated during his takeoff run, he was not observed by the landing pilot, (now in the other's blind spots), until immediately prior to landing under the right side of landing airplane just as they collided at a speed of approximately 65 to 70 mph (with little to no relative motion). The departing airplane was slightly to the right of the landing airplane, so the landing airplane descended into the departing airplane's top left wing. Both airplanes decelerated, there was noise of the collision, and the landing plane turned about 90 degrees to the right and stopped. The departing airplane at that time had come to rest upside down nearly right in front of the nose of the landing airplane.

Once all motion had ceased, the pilot of departing airplane checked his passenger, who was slightly injured, as was the pilot. Both then moved to a safe location. The landing pilot also checked the departing pilot and his passenger as well as his own passenger.

Each pilot secured their respective planes. There was no fuel leaking from either airplane, and there was no fire or smoke. The airport ground crew and other first responder personnel responded without delay.