Mid-air collision Accident Cessna 175 Skylark N9423B,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 212113
 
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Date:Wednesday 13 June 2018
Time:12:05
Type:Silhouette image of generic C175 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 175 Skylark
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N9423B
MSN: 55223
Year of manufacture:1958
Total airframe hrs:5296 hours
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Big Susitna River mouth, Mat-Su Valley, AK -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:Anchorage-Lake Hood, AK (LHD/PALH)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Two wheel-equipped, high-wing airplanes, a Cessna 207 (N91038) and a Cessna 175 (N9423B), collided midair while in cruise flight in day visual meteorological conditions. Both airplanes were operating under visual flight rules, and neither airplane was in communication with an air traffic control facility. The Cessna 175 pilot stated that he was making position reports during cruise flight about 1,000ft above mean sea level when he established contact with the pilot of another airplane, which was passing in the opposite direction. As he watched that airplane pass well below him, he noticed the shadow of a second airplane converging with the shadow of his airplane from the opposite direction. He looked forward and saw the spinner of the converging airplane in his windscreen and immediately pulled aft on the control yoke; the airplanes subsequently collided. The Cessna 207 descended uncontrolled into the river. Although damaged, the Cessna 175 continued to fly, and the pilot proceeded to an airport and landed safely. An examination of both airplanes revealed impact signatures consistent with the two airplanes colliding nearly head-on.

About 4 years before the accident, following a series of midair collisions in the Matanuska Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley (the area where the accident occurred), the FAA made significant changes to the common traffic advisory frequencies (CTAF) assigned north and west of Anchorage, Alaska. The FAA established geographic CTAF areas based, in part, on flight patterns, traffic flow, private and public airports, and off-airport landing sites. The CTAF for the area where the accident occurred was at a frequency changeover point with westbound Cook Inlet traffic communicating on 122.70 and eastbound traffic on 122.90 Mhz. The pilot of the Cessna 175, which was traveling on an eastbound heading at the time of the accident, reported that he had a primary active radio frequency of 122.90 Mhz, and a non-active secondary frequency 135.25 Mhz in his transceiver at the time of the collision. The transceivers from the other airplane were not recovered, and it could not be determined whether the pilot of the Cessna 207 was monitoring the CTAF or making position reports.

Probable Cause: The failure of both pilots to see and avoid the other airplane while in level cruise flight, which resulted in a midair collision.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ANC18FA045
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 5 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=9423B

Location

Images:


Photo: NTSB

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
13-Jun-2018 23:51 Geno Added
13-Jun-2018 23:55 Geno Updated [Source]
14-Jun-2018 01:01 Geno Updated [Source, Narrative]
11-Nov-2019 17:43 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ]
11-Nov-2019 17:58 harro Updated [Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo]

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