- Date
- March 17, 2023, 12:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ · KFFZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Defining events
- Enroute-cruise: Midair collisionEnroute-cruise: Midair collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20230317007732A
- Case key
- 106913
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot of the Ryan Navion’s failure to maintain visual sight of and clearance from another airplane during a formation flight, which resulted in a mid-air collision.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
N610 · Navion Navion A
N2504U · Yakovlev YAK-52
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
N610 · Navion Navion A
N2504U · Yakovlev YAK-52
Analysis
The pilot of a Yakovlev Yak-52 reported that he was in the number three position, off the lead airplane’s left wing while in a four-airplane formation flight. The pilot of the lead airplane initiated a left turn and the formation followed. While in the left turn, the pilot of the number three airplane felt “a bump” from underneath and observed the number four airplane pass under his right wing, and ascend toward the lead airplane. The pilot of the number three airplane realized there had been a mid-air collision, broke away from the formation to the left, and executed an emergency landing. The number three airplane’s right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot of a Ryan Navion reported that, he was in the number four position off of the number three airplane’s left wing in the four-airplane formation flight. The pilot of the lead airplane initiated a left turn and the formation followed. When the pilot of the number four airplane “felt to level off”, his airplane collided with the number three airplane from underneath. He then executed an emergency landing. The fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder were substantially damaged. The pilots of both airplanes reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplanes that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N610
- Reported as
- Navion Navion A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NAV-4-2066
- Built
- 1950
- Airframe hours
- 4,450
- Engine
- Continental E185, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 1, 2022
- Departed
- KFFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N2504U
- Reported as
- Yakovlev YAK-52
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 87-8012
- Built
- 1987
- Airframe hours
- 976
- Engine
- Vedeneyev M14P, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ttd LLC
- Registered owner
- Ttd LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 15, 2022 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- KFFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Electronic primary flight display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N610
- Age
- 89
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 18, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 16,000 total · 130 in this make and model
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N2504U
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 12, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,765 total · 223 in this make and model · 2,011 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KFFZ, 3 nm away
- METAR
- KFFZ 171854Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 18/07 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP143 T01830067=
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.