NYC00LA081

A low wing Piper was in level flight at 3,700 feet, heading in a northerly direction. A high wing Cessna was climbing through 3,300 feet for a final cruise altitude of 3,500 feet. The pilot of the Piper felt a bump and the windshield broke. Assuming that he had hit a bird, the pilot returned to LPR and landed uneventfully. The pilot of the Cessna noticed a vertical fin just slightly to the right of the airplane. The Cessna impacted the Piper, and both airplanes landed uneventfully at different airports. Examination of the Piper revealed a black rubber streak that on the top of the fuselage, about 5 degrees right of centerline, and extended reward about 4 feet. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were damaged from the top rudder hinge upward. Examination of the Cessna revealed a gash in the fuselage that extended from aft of the firewall to where the wing strut met the fuselage. Pieces of metal and wires were found embedded in the gash. The right hand door was missing from the airplane. A gash and white paint transfer was observed on the nose wheel tire. Inside the cabin area of the airplane was the rudder counter weight from the Piper.

On February 15, 2000, about 1430 Eastern Standard Time, a Piper PA-28-236, N8264G, was substantially damaged during a midair collision with a Cessna 172M, N1742V, near Parkertown, Ohio. The 172M sustained minor damage. The certificated commercial pilot of the Piper, and the certificated commercial pilot and passenger of the Cessna were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plans were filed for the personal flights conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot of the Piper, he departed the Loraine County Regional Airport (LPR), Lorain, Ohio, for a local flight. The pilot stated that while level at 3,700 feet, and heading in a northerly direction, he was "scanning" from right to left, when he felt a bump and the windshield broke. Assuming that he had hit a bird, the pilot returned to LPR and landed uneventfully. The pilot did not recall seeing the Cessna before or after the accident.

According to the pilot of the Cessna, he departed from the Griffing Sandusky Airport, Sandusky, Ohio, about 1415. As the airplane was climbing through 3,300 feet for a final cruise altitude of 3,500 feet, about 2 miles north of Norwalk City, Ohio, the pilot noticed a vertical fin just slightly to the right of his airplane. The pilot stated that "there was no time to take action, there was a slight uplifting and bang!" After impacting the airplane, the Cessna rolled to the left about 45-60 degrees and the pilot felt that he might not recover. The pilot rolled the wings level and looked out the left side of his airplane to see where the other airplane had gone, but saw nothing and assumed that the airplane had crashed. With the passenger door torn off of the airplane, the pilot was concerned with landing quickly, and began to fly towards the Norwalk-Huron Airport (5A1), Norwalk, Ohio. En route to 5A1, the pilot began assessing the damage to his airplane by checking the tail, working the controls, and to see if he had wheels. After determining that the airplane "felt good," the pilot elected not to land at 5A1 and continued flying to his home base, Galion Airport (GQQ), Galion, Ohio. Arriving at GQQ, the pilot flew over the airport several times for ground personnel to determine if the airplane's wheels were still intact, then landed uneventfully.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage of the Piper on February 16, 2000. The initial impact point was located on the right hand windshield. A black rubber streak was observed on the top of the fuselage, about 5 degrees right of centerline, and extended reward about 4 feet. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were damaged from the top rudder hinge upward. The end caps on both the vertical stabilizer and rudder were missing.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage of the Cessna on February 17, 2000. The inspector observed a gash in the fuselage that extended from aft of the firewall to the area where the wing strut meets the fuselage. Pieces of metal and wires were found embedded in the gash. The right hand door was missing from the airplane. A gash was noted on the right side of the nose wheel tire. White paint transfer was observed on both sides of the tire. The rear right window was broken. Inside the cabin area of the airplane was scattered debris, which included the rudder counter weight from the Piper.