Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary NYC97LA003

MANSFIELD, MA, USA

Aircraft #1

N5115D

North American T-6G

Aircraft #2

N25589

Cessna 152

Analysis

The pilot of a North American T-6G completed a demonstration flight, returned to his departure airport, and entered the traffic pattern to land on runway 22, a grass strip. During the turn to final approach, the pilot observed a Cessna 152 taxing northwest on the hard surface taxiway for runway 14. According to the T-6 pilot, 'After touchdown and retracting my flaps, I realized that the Cessna was not going to be stopping before crossing my runway...At this point, he was disappearing in the huge blind spot in front of my nose. I began to turn to the left in an attempt to pass behind the Cessna. At this time he must have stopped as I didn't see him to my right. I began to turn much harder to the left when I struck his left wing with my prop...and pushing him back about 75 feet...' According to the Cessna pilot, '...The airplane I was watching land on runway 14 suddenly added power and did a go around. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye a yellow T-6 off the right and in front of me. The T-6 was landing on runway 22. I stopped short of where the runway crosses the taxiway. The T-6 then started turning to the left. He turned sharply and struck the Cessna I was operating.' Examination of the airplanes revealed that the Cessna had stopped about 65 feet short of the runway intersection, and had been struck by the T-6 outside the boundaries of runway 22.

Factual Information

On October 6, 1996, at 1415 eastern daylight time, a North American T-6G, N5115D, collided with a Cessna 152, N25589, during the landing rollout at the Mansfield Municipal Airport, Mansfield, Massachusetts. Both airplanes were substantially damaged. The commercial pilot and passenger of the T-6G, and the student pilot of the Cessna 152 were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The T-6 demonstration flight, and the Cessna solo flight, both originated at the Mansfield Municipal Airport (1B9). No flight plan had been filed for either flight, and both flights were conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the T-6 pilot stated that after a 30 minute demonstration flight, he entered the traffic pattern of 1B9 to land on runway 22, a grass strip. During his turn to final approach, the pilot observed a Cessna 152 taxing northwest on the hard surface taxiway for runway 14. The T-6 pilot further stated: "...After touchdown and retracting my flaps, I realized that the 152 was not going to be stopping before crossing my runway...At this point he was disappearing in the huge blind spot in front of my nose. I began a turn to the left in an attempt to pass behind the 152. At this time he must have stopped as I didn't see him to my right. I began to turn much harder to the left when I struck his left wing with my prop...and pushing him back about 75 feet..." In a written statement, the Cessna pilot stated that while taxing on the runway 14 parallel taxiway, she observed another airplane on approach to runway 14. She further stated: "...The airplane I was watching land on 14 suddenly added power and did a 'go-around.' Then I saw out of the corner of my eye a yellow T-6 off the right and in front of me. The T-6 was landing on 22. I stopped short of where the runway crosses the taxiway. The T-6 then started turning to the left. He turned sharply and struck the C-152 I was operating." According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector's report, examination of the airplanes revealed that the Cessna had stopped about 65 feet short of the runway intersections, and had been struck by the T-6 outside the boundaries of runway 22. The Inspector's report also stated that the pilot of the T-6 had been involved in a ground loop incident the previous the day at the same airport, in another T-6.

Probable Cause and Findings

failure of the T-6 pilot to maintain clearance from the Cessna 152, as he turned off the runway after landing. A factor relating to the accident was: the T-6 pilot's restricted view of the Cessna 152 (lack of visual detection), due to a blind spot beyond the nose of his airplane.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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