CHI97LA211

The pilot said that he was performing an airshow routine with another airplane. He had just come across the top of a '1/2 cuban eight' maneuver, and visually located the other airplane, as he was maneuvering for an opposing pass. He stated, 'Descending back to show center, I lost sight of the other airplane due to my top wing being in my line of sight.' The pilot visually searched for the other airplane. He said, 'Due to the time of day, haze and color of the other airplane, I didn't pick him up. At one instant, something caught my eye. I glanced up, and the next instant, touched down on a slight descent at about 160 miles per hour. The long rigid [landing] gear collapsed easily. I pulled the airplane back into the air, made a slight right turn to line up on runway 13 and landed.' Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.

On July 12, 1997, at 1815 central daylight time (cdt), a Waco UPF-7, N30136, operated by commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when while performing an airshow routine, the airplane impacted the terrain. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The business flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Springfield, Illinois, at 1810 cdt.

In his written statement, the pilot said that he was performing an airshow routine with another airplane. The pilot had just come across the top of a "1/2 cuban eight" maneuver, and visually located the other airplane, as he was setting up for an opposing pass. "Descending back to show center, I lost sight of the other airplane due to my top wing being in my line of sight." The pilot visually searched for the other airplane. "Due to the time of day, haze and color of the other airplane, I didn't pick him up. At one instant, something caught my eye. I glanced up, and the next instant, touched down on a slight descent at about 160 miles per hour. The long rigid [landing] gear collapsed easily. I pulled the airplane back into the air, made a slight right turn to line up on runway 13 and landed."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the wreckage at the scene found the airplane resting on the right edge of runway 13 at Springfield Capital Airport, Springfield, Illinois approximately 4,600 feet down from the threshold. The right bottom wing's rear spar was bent up and aft. The airplane's right aileron was bent upward. The main landing gear were bent upward into the bottom of the fuselage. The cowling and underside of the airplane's fuselage were crushed upward. Both propeller blades were missing approximately 1/2-inch of the blade tips. The propeller showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. No anomalies were found with the engine, engine controls or other airplane systems.