SEA97LA014

On October 12, 1996, approximately 0815 Pacific daylight time, an experimental homebuilt Ensey SA-750, N94WE, struck a Cessna 172M, N9579H, from behind while both aircraft were landing at Albany Municipal Airport, Albany, Oregon. The collision took place on the runway. The private pilot of the SA-750, who owned and had built the aircraft, received minor injuries. The passenger in the SA-750, as well as the private pilot of the Cessna and his passenger were uninjured. Both aircraft were substantially damaged. Both aircraft were en route to Albany from Corvallis, Oregon and were operating under 14 CFR 91. Visual meteorological conditions existed and neither aircraft had filed a flight plan. There was no report of an ELT activation.

The pilots told local police who responded to the scene that they were flying together as part of a three-ship group from Corvallis, and were planning to meet at a restaurant in Albany for breakfast. They stated to police that they were in radio communication with each other while en route. The Cessna pilot stated that the SA-750 had gotten ahead of him, and that upon arriving at Albany, the Cessna entered the pattern on a left base leg and the SA-750 pilot entered from a standard 45-degree entry to left downwind. He also stated that both aircraft involved made position calls on the radio while in the Albany traffic pattern. The Cessna pilot further stated that he had the SA-750 in sight on a 45 entry at the time he entered the traffic pattern on left base. The SA-750 pilot told police that he never saw the Cessna, but that he had heard the Cessna pilot announce the base entry just prior to making his own announcement of an entry on the 45 to a left downwind. The pilot of the Cessna, which was flown about 65 MPH on final, said that he announced his turn to final, and his passenger said that just before the Cessna touched down, she heard the pilot of the SA-750, which was being flown about 80 MPH, announce he was turning final. According to the occupants of the Cessna, they felt the impact of the SA-750 a few seconds after touching down on the runway. The SA-750 is a tailwheel-equipped, tandem biplane, with the pilot sitting in the back seat. According to the pilot of the SA-750, this configuration "...seriously restricts forward visibility." He further said that he thought the Cessna had already exited the runway by the time he touched down, and that he did not see the Cessna until about one second prior to the impact.

Albany Municipal is an uncontrolled airport. The Cessna pilot's accident report stated that the airplanes were landing on runway 16; however, a sketch of the scene in the police report of the accident indicated that both planes were landing on runway 34. It was also noted that SA-750 pilot's accident report stated that the Cessna had entered a right base, but the Cessna pilot told the Albany Police that he had been on a left base, and the diagram on his pilot statement indicates he was on a left base. Although the SA-750 pilot said in his report that the Cessna had been on a right base, in his statement to the Albany Police he said that he never saw the Cessna once it arrived in the area of the Albany Airport.