Gatineau, Quebec, 11 September 2012—The
TSB today released its investigation report (A11P0027) into the 09
February 2011 midair collision between two Cessna 150 aircraft over
Dewdney, British Columbia.
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| Photo: TSB |
Cessna 150G involved in a midair
collision in Dewdney, B.C.
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The two accident aircraft were part of
a four aircraft formation flight. One was the lead aircraft and the
other was behind and to its right. During a right turn while in
formation, the aircraft on the right lost sight of the leader. While
trying to regain sight of the leader, the aircraft climbed, turned
left, and struck the lead aircraft. The two aircraft briefly joined
together and descended out of control until about 400 feet above
ground level where they separated. The lead aircraft then broke up
and continued descending out of control to the ground. Both of its
occupants suffered fatal injuries. The other aircraft's pilot
regained control and landed in a nearby field without engine power,
and was uninjured.
"Formation flying is a challenging
activity requiring high levels of skill and discipline," said
Bill Yearwood, Manager, Air Investigation Operations, Pacific Region.
"Without appropriate training and thorough preflight briefings,
there is an increased risk of in-flight collisions, and these
collisions often cause fatal accidents."
Training is required for formation
flying during events such as air shows. However, for casual formation
flight outside of air shows, the only regulatory requirement is a
pre-arrangement between pilots intending to fly in formation. The
group had a pre-flight briefing to discuss join-up procedures after
takeoff and breakout procedures. However, this briefing did not
discuss the procedures for loss of sight of an aircraft, nor did it
review the practices for returning to the formation. Further, the
investigation found that flying in formation in high-wing aircraft
such as the Cessna 150 poses an elevated risk of loss of visual
contact, due to the limited cockpit vision angles.
Since the accident, Transport Canada
issued a safety bulletin regarding the hazards associated with
formation flying. It highlights the importance of pre-flight planning
and flying skills in reducing the associated risks.
Formation flying may not be as effortless as it seems when watching it at airshows. There are seemingly minor variables such as wind shifts that can account for large consequences, and these are multiplied in formation.
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