# NTSB WPR13LA004: Piper PA-28-161, N8115Q, Chandler, AZ, October 5, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 5, 2012, 14:07 local (21:07 UTC) - Place: Chandler, AZ - Coordinates: 33.103054, -112.054168 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1031&lon=-112.0542&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining events: [Maneuvering: Midair collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250); [Maneuvering: Midair collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 30, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: CAE Global Academy, Piper Aircraft, FAA-FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 85265 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR13LA004 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/85265/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=85265 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13LA004 ## Probable cause (aircraft 1) The failure of both flight instructors to see and avoid the other airplane while providing instrument flight training, which resulted in a midair collision. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Attention/monitoring: monitoring other aircraft](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021540): Personnel issues › Psychological · Instructor/check pilot (probable cause), aircraft 1; cases with it: [Piper PA-28-161, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021540/cases.md?model=7102803), [All aircraft, 231 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021540/cases.md) - [Attention/monitoring: monitoring other aircraft](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021540): Personnel issues › Psychological · Instructor/check pilot (probable cause), aircraft 2; cases with it: [Piper PA-28R-201, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021540/cases.md?model=7102816), [All aircraft, 231 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021540/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Midair collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250) (defining event), aircraft 1; cases with it: [Piper PA-28-161, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250/sequence.md?model=7102803), [All aircraft, 196 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250/sequence.md) - [Maneuvering: Midair collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250) (defining event), aircraft 2; cases with it: [Piper PA-28R-201, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250/sequence.md?model=7102816), [All aircraft, 196 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/250/sequence.md) ## Analysis (aircraft 1) During instructional flights with a flight instructor and a student pilot on board each airplane, a Piper Warrior and a Piper Arrow collided in midair during day visual meteorological conditions. The instructors reported that their students were simulating instrument conditions and were wearing view-limiting devices as they practiced instrument maneuvers. Both flight instructors reported that they saw the other airplane only moments before the collision and were not aware of other aircraft in the area. Neither airplane was using flight following services nor did they have any radar guidance during the flight. A review of recorded radar data for the area depicted two targets on a southwesterly heading, one ahead of the other. The targets were spaced about 2 miles apart and both were at 4,000 feet mean sea level. The rear target, the Arrow, changed its southwesterly heading to a westerly heading, and shortly after, the target identified as the Warrior started a wide right turn. Both airplanes were flying toward each other when the Warrior’s right wing and the Arrow’s left wing collided. After the collision, both airplanes subsequently made uneventful landings. ## Factual narrative (aircraft 1) On October 5, 2012, about 1407 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-161, Warrior, N8115Q, and a Piper PA-28R-201, Arrow, N4184M, collided midair approximately 12 miles south of Chandler, Arizona. Both airplanes were being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as local instructional flights. The Warrior was owned and operated by Chandler Air Service Inc., and the Arrow was owned by Aircraft Guaranty Corp., and operated by CAE Oxford Aviation Academy. Both airplanes had a certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot on board. No injuries were reported from either airplane. The Warrior departed Chandler Municipal Airport (CHD), Chandler, Arizona about 1335. The Arrow departed Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona about 1230. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for either airplane. According to the flight instructor of the Arrow, he and the student pilot had just completed a non-directional beacon (NDB) interception exercise with the student wearing a view limiting devise. Shortly after, the flight instructor noticed a very close, fast-moving blurred object approaching from almost directly ahead. The object seemed to be in a left turn and was lower than his airplane. After the impact, the airplane yawed left and wing down. The flight instructor took control and stabilized the airplane. The flight instructor of the Warrior reported that he had given his student pilot a simulated instrument clearance. The student was wearing a view limiting device. The flight instructor then saw an airplane directly ahead and slightly higher in altitude. He further stated that the airplane appeared to be in a slight left turn. He took the controls and made an abrupt nose down left turn prior to impacting the other airplane. After the midair collision, the Warrior landed at Gila River Memorial Airport (34AZ), in Chandler, Arizona, with substantial damage to the right wing. The Arrow landed on the Volkswagen Group of America test track in Maricopa, Arizona, with substantial damage to its left wing and horizontal stabilator. The Warrior’s right wing separated about 3-1/2 feet from the wing tip along with an outboard section of the right aileron. The aileron balance weight was not found during the examination. The Arrow’s left wing was damaged outboard and adjacent to the wing fuel tank. About 14 inches of the leading edge structure was crushed to the main spar, and a portion of the Warrior’s wing remained within the structure. The Warrior's right wing tip protruded from the top and the bottom of the Arrow’s wing. The leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer sustained impact damage. Recorded radar data from the FAA's Phoenix Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) ARTS IIIA radar system was obtained and reviewed. Neither airplane was on flight following or had any radar guidance during the accident flights. Between 1405:39 and 1406:20, two radar beacon targets proceeded on asouthwesterly track, one ahead of the other, about 6 miles northeast of the University of Arizona Maricopa Ag Center Airport (3AZ2). The targets were spaced about 2 miles apart, and both indicated mode C reported altitudes of 4,000 feet mean sea level. At 1406:25 the rear target, the Arrow, changed to a westerly heading, and 40 seconds later the forward target, the Warrior, began a right turn into the path of the rear target. At 1407:06 both targets merged and then separated. One target, the Warrior, then departed to the northeast, and then changed heading to the north, disappearing near Gila River Memorial Airport (34AZ). The other target, the Arrow, departed to the southwest, and disappeared from radar 2 miles east of 3AZ2. The Arrow was equipped with a Portable Collision Avoidance System (PCAS) unit capable of detecting and displaying range, bearing, and altitude information of transponder equipped aircraft in the vicinity of the unit. According to the flight instructor of the Arrow, the unit had alerted him twice during the flight but, did not alert him prior to the midair collision. The unit was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for further examination. Its alert settings were set to a range of 3 nautical miles and a vertical range of 1,500 feet. The external speaker and headset interfaced audio tested properly, and no anomalies were noted with the unit. An examination report is contained in the public docket for this accident. Neither pilot reported any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft 1 - Registration: [N8115Q](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8115Q-2015-09-10), registration cancelled 2015-09-10, S/N 28-8016121, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-161 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-161](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (registry code 7102803) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-8016121 - Airframe hours: 3931 - Engines: LYCOMING O-320 SERIES 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Chandler Air Service, doing business as Flight Training/Rental/Sales/Aerobatics/Tailwheel - Registered owner: Triumph Aviation LLC - Last inspection: Annual, August 29, 2012, 2,027 hours before - Departed: CHD, Chander, AZ - Destination: CHD, Chander, AZ - Airport: CHD, Chandler Municipal Airport ## Aircraft 2 - Registration: [N4184M](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4184M), registered now, S/N 2844062, built 2001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28R-201 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28R-201](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-201) (registry code 7102816) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 SER A&C](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-ser-a-c) (registry code 41511, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2844062 - Airframe hours: 10734 - Engines: LYCOMING IO360 SER A&C 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Aircraft Guaranty Holdings & Trust LLC Trustee, doing business as Flight School - Registered owner: Aircraft Guaranty Holdings & Trust LLC Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, August 29, 2012, 2,144 hours before - Departed: FFZ, Mesa, AZ - Destination: FFZ, Mesa, AZ - Airport: CHD, Chandler Municipal Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor, aircraft N8115Q; age 53; injuries: none; flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review September 21, 2011; seat: right; flight hours: 15,986 total, 4,700 in this make and model, 15,820 as pilot in command, 74 in the last 90 days, 30 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours - Student pilot, aircraft N8115Q; age 25; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review June 2, 2011; seat: left; flight hours: 179 total, 80 in this make and model, 75 as pilot in command, 10 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours - Flight instructor, aircraft N4184M; age 63; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review September 24, 2012; seat: right; flight hours: 8,524 total, 4,201 in this make and model, 8,472 as pilot in command, 206 in the last 90 days, 57 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours - Student pilot, aircraft N4184M; injuries: none; student; seat: left; flight hours: 122 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 30 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg - Observed at: KCHD, 15 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (2) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20121005026362A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121005026362A), Oct 5, 2012: Piper PA-28-161, Bapchule, AZ, Substantial damage. On October 5th, 2012 at approximately 2:07 p.m., N8115Q, a Piper PA-28-161, and N4184M, a Piper PA-28R-201 collided in mid-air just south of the town of… - [Accident 20121005026372A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121005026372A), Oct 5, 2012: Piper PA-28R-201, Bapchule, AZ, Substantial damage. On October 5th, 2012 at approximately 2:07 p.m., N4184M, a Piper PA-28R-201, and N811QQ, a Piper PA-28-161, collided in mid-air in the vicinity of the town of… ## Docket (10 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2013, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=85265. 2.3 MB in all. - Electronic Device 17 - Specialist's Factual Report (Zaon from N4184M) - 1 Embedded Image (item 1, .PDF, 1 photo, 130 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40386610&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Electronic%20Device%2017%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report%20(Zaon%20from%20N4184M)%20-%201%20Embedded%20Image-Master.PDF - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1-Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) (item 2, .PDF, 980 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394586&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Canadian%20Aviation%20Electronics%20(CAE)-Redacted.PDF - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1-Chandler Air Service (item 3, .PDF, 540 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394587&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Chandler%20Air%20Service-Redacted.PDF - Statement-Pilot Receiving Instruction-N8115Q (item 4, .PDF, 55 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394577&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement-Pilot%20Receiving%20Instruction-N8115Q-Redacted.PDF - Statement-Flight Instructor-N8115Q (item 5, .PDF, 56 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394652&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement-Flight%20Instructor-N8115Q-Master.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation-Piper (item 6, .PDF, 161 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394458&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Piper-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation-Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) (item 7, .PDF, 67 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394460&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Canadian%20Aviation%20Electronics%20(CAE)-Redacted.PDF - N4184M Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 8, .PDF, 40 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394706&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=N4184M%20Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - N8115Q Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 9, .PDF, 40 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40394707&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=N8115Q%20Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - Video 1 - TRACON Radar Data (item 10, .PDF, 193 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40398347&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Video%201%20-%20TRACON%20Radar%20Data-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.