CHI97FA084

At 1400 cst, modified Douglas DC-3C/BT-67R, TZ389, & Beech A36, N3657A, began formation flight to get DC-3 flying time & for the 2nd occupant of the A36 to get aerial photos of the DC-3. A witness saw the airplanes (acft) at 500' to 700' agl, 'flying close together heading north.' He said 'the big plane (DC-3) was flying straight & level. The little plane (A36) was just to the west of the big plane. The little plane then hit the big plane near the middle.' After impact, pieces of acft were seen falling. Another witness saw the DC-3 heading north & the A36 circling it above & below. On its last pass, the A36 circled behind the DC-3, then crossed over the top & hitting the top of the DC-3. About 5 seconds after impact, the DC-3 gently rolled/turned westbound (apparently descending & gaining airspeed); the left wing then came off, followed by the right wing about 2 seconds later. Parts of the A36 empennage were found 3590 to 4910 ft from the main wreckage. There was evidence that during impact, the DC-3 elevator and rudder controls were severed. No preimpact anomalies were found. At 1445cst, an AIRMET had been issued, forecasting light to moderate turbulence below 8,000 ft msl. Toxicology tests of the DC-3 copilot's blood showed 0.127 mcg/ml amitriptyline (a prescription antidepressant with sedative side effects), 0.039 mcg/ml nortriptyline (metabolite of amitriptyline), and an undetermined amount of ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine (over-the-counter medications used in cold preparations, diet aids & stimulants).

At 1400 cst, modified Douglas DC-3C/BT-67R, TZ389, & Beech A36, N3657A, began formation flight to get DC-3 flying time & for the 2nd occupant of the A36 to get aerial photos of the DC-3. A witness saw the airplanes (acft) at 500' to 700' agl, "flying close together heading north." He said "the big plane (DC-3) was flying straight & level. The little plane (A36) was just to the west of the big plane. The little plane then hit the big plane near the middle." After impact, pieces of acft were seen falling. Another witness saw the DC-3 heading north & the A36 circling it above & below. On its last pass, the A36 circled behind the DC-3, then crossed over the top & hitting the top of the DC-3. About 5 seconds after impact, the DC-3 gently rolled/turned westbound (apparently descending & gaining airspeed); the left wing then came off, followed by the right wing about 2 seconds later. Parts of the A36 empennage were found 3590 to 4910 ft from the main wreckage. There was evidence that during impact, the DC-3 elevator and rudder controls were severed. No preimpact anomalies were found. At 1445cst, an AIRMET had been issued, forecasting light to moderate turbulence below 8,000 ft msl. Toxicology tests of the DC-3 copilot's blood showed 0.127 mcg/ml amitriptyline (a prescription antidepressant with sedative side effects), 0.039 mcg/ml nortriptyline (metabolite of amitriptyline), and an undetermined amount of ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine (over-the-counter medications used in cold preparations, diet aids & stimulants).

See narrative for CHI97FA084A

History of flight

On March 15, 1997, at 1528 central standard time (cst), a Douglas DC-3C/BT-67R, TZ389, operated by an airline transport pilot, was destroyed when during cruise formation flight with a Beechcraft A-36, N3657A, the two airplanes collided. Both airplanes subsequently departed controlled flight and impacted the terrain. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial photography flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Neither pilot had filed a flight plan. Both pilots on the DC-3C/BT-67R, and the pilot and passenger on the A-36 were fatally injured. The flight originated at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at 1400 cst.

An employee of Basler Turbo Conversions, Incorporated, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the company which employed the three pilots and passenger of the two airplanes, stated that when he arrived at the company on the day of the accident, the passenger was already there. The witness said that the first officer arrived at 1015 cst and began a pre-flight inspection of the DC-3C. The pilot-in-command arrived at 1030 cst. The DC-3C was scheduled for two flights that day. The first flight was scheduled to takeoff at 1100 cst. The purpose of the flight was to put some flying hours on the DC-3C. The purpose of the second flight was to fly in formation with the A-36 and allow the passenger on the A-36 to take aerial photographs of the DC-3C. The witness said that the DC-3C took off on its first flight at 1100 cst. He said that the airplane flew for approximately one hour and a half before landing back at Oshkosh, Wisconsin at approximately 1230 cst. The witness said that the DC-3C was scheduled to take off on its second flight at approximately 1400 cst.

At approximately 1525 cst, a witness standing in his yard just off of CTH F road, was talking to a friend when he saw the DC-3C and the A-36 airplanes "flying close together heading north." The witness said they were east of his house and approximately 500 to 700 feet above the ground. The witness said "the big plane [DC-3C] was flying straight and level. The little plane [A-36] was just to the west of the big plane. The little plane then hit the big plane near the middle." The witness said that after the airplanes hit, he saw pieces of the airplanes falling to the ground. "The little plane headed east going down." The big plane headed west.

Another witness was traveling eastbound on a snowmobile trail southwest of Newton, Wisconsin, with his girlfriend and daughter when he saw the two airplanes heading north. He stopped his snowmobile on the trail to show his daughter the airplanes. The witness said that the large airplane (DC-3) was heading north and the small airplane (A-36) was circling it above and below. On its last pass, the small airplane circled behind the large airplane, then it crossed over the top of the large airplane hitting the top of the large airplane. The small airplane continued west after the collision. The large airplane continued north for five seconds then turned westbound in a gentle turn. The left wing then came off while in the turn, followed by the right wing two seconds later. The large airplane then went straight down with the top of the airplane facing west.

Another witness was traveling south on Interstate 43 just north of the Highway C off ramp when he saw an airplane. The witness stated that it was "barrel rolling in different directions on the east side of Interstate 43. At one point it came down straight as an arrow. Then at a point, it leveled off." As the witness exited the interstate he saw "objects and debris falling out of the sky."

At approximately 1530 cst, another witness traveling south on Interstate 43, observed pieces of an airplane falling to the ground very quickly. A few seconds later, she saw a large plane banking and beginning to descend. "At the moment that it turned I could see the entire plane falling perpendicular to the earth. The witness said that she noticed that the airplane was missing its left wing. "The large wing was floating down very slowly." The witness also stated, "A few moments before the plane hit, the nose seemed to come up slightly." The witness then lost sight of the airplane.

Personnel information

The captain of the DC-3C had 5,350 hours total flying time, 4,430 hours in multi-engine airplanes, and 3,772 hours of pilot-in- command time in DC-3s. The captain had undergone a biennial flight review in a DC-3, on February 6, 1997.

The first officer of the DC-3C had 1,793 hours total flying time, 693 hours in multi-engine airplanes, and 693 hours in DC-3s. The first officer had undergone a biennial flight review in a DC-3, on November 25, 1996.

The pilot of the A-36 had 28,600 hours total flying time, 8,600 hours in single-engine airplanes, and 2,330 hours in the A-36. The pilot had undergone a biennial flight review in a DC-3, on October 28, 1996.

Aircraft information

The DC-3C/BT-67R airplane, serial number 26002, was a turboprop- engine conversion of a Douglas DC-3C military airplane. The original airplane was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Incorporated, for the United States Army in 1943. Basler Turbo Conversions, Incorporated, obtained the airplane from the Canadian government in 1991. At the time of the purchase, the airplane was being used by the Royal Canadian Air Force as a transport. The airframe's total time at the time of purchase was 17,606.0 hours.

Basler Turbo Conversions, Incorporated, began conversion work on the airplane, N29BF, in 1993. The Republic of Mali, Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans placed the purchase order for the airplane on November 17, 1996. The airplane's conversion, covered under several FAA supplemental type certificates (STC), included replacement of the two Pratt and Whitney R-1830 radial- piston engines with Pratt and Whitney PT-6A-67R turboprop engines, addition of five-bladed Hartzell HC-B5MA-3 feathering and reversing propellers, structural strengthening of the center wing section, addition of a 40-inch long plug to the fuselage just forward of the wings from station 155.5 to station 195.5, and addition of long-range outer wing fuel tanks. The conversion was completed and the airplane was certified for return to service on February 5, 1997. The airplane was flown to Huron Park, Ontario, on March 10, 1997, where it was stripped and painted, and affixed with insignia of the Republic of Mali. The Mali registration number, TZ389, was put on the airplane at that time. The airplane had flown approximately 10.0 hours following its return to service when the accident occurred.

The A-36 airplane was owned and operated by Basler Turbo Conversions, Inc., Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The airplane had undergone an annual inspection on June 1, 1996. At the time of the accident, the airframe had 5,776 hours.

Meteorological information

At 1445 cst, the Flight Service Station at Green Bay, Wisconsin, put out a weather advisory (AIRMET) calling for light to occasional moderate turbulence below 8,000 feet mean sea level (MSL).

At 1528 cst, the weather reporting station at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, reported winds aloft at 3,000 feet MSL to be 280- degrees magnetic at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots.

At 1614 cst, the weather reporting station at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, reported clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 16-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point zero, altimeter setting 30.30, and winds 280-degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots.

No evidence was found that the pilot of the DC-3C or the pilot of the A-36 obtained a weather briefing prior to departing Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Wreckage and impact information

The NTSB on scene investigation began on March 15, 1997, at 2130 cst.

DC-3C

The DC-3C airplane's main wreckage was resting inverted at the east edge of a small grove of trees, 150 feet south of Newton Road, an east-west running paved ro