Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilots' failure to see and avoid the other airplane, which resulted in a midair collision during short final approach.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The low-wing airplane and the high-wing airplane were both being operated as instructional flights. Both airplanes arrived from different airports and had completed several uneventful landings at the non-tower-controlled accident airport. The pilots of both airplanes reported that they were transmitting position reports and hearing transmissions on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency. Review of ADS-B data indicated that the low-wing airplane flew a wider left traffic pattern, and the high wing airplane flew a closer left traffic pattern before the airplanes converged on final approach, and the left wing of the high-wing airplane contacted the upper cabin of the low-wing airplane, resulting in substantial damage to both airplanes. The instructors onboard each airplane took control, and landed without further incident. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the failure of the pilots to see and avoid the other airplane while operating in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in a midair collision.
Source record
Factual narrative
On December 9, 2024, about 1630 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N90874, and a Cessna 172S, N497SJ, were substantially damaged when they were involved in a midair collision near Pahokee, Florida. The flight instructor and student pilot onboard the Piper were not injured. The flight instructor, private pilot receiving instruction, and student pilot observer onboard the Cessna were also not injured. Both airplanes were operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flights. Both airplanes had previously completed multiple landings on runway 18 at Palm Beach County Glades Airport (PHK), Pahokee, Florida. The instructor onboard the low-wing Piper reported that, during final approach for a third landing, about 300 to 350 ft above ground level, he heard a “crunching metal noise” and realized that another airplane had collided with the cabin roof from above. He was able to continue and land on the runway. The instructor added that he had been making position reports in the traffic pattern on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). He remembered a Cessna making a “short approach” report during their previous traffic pattern, but he did not hear anything during the accident traffic pattern. The pilot and instructor onboard the high-wing Cessna reported that they had completed one full-stop and two touch-and-go landings. During the fourth approach, the student pilot in the rear seat yelled as he saw “something big” on the left side of the airplane. The pilot pulled back on the control yoke, but it was too late, as contact was already made. The instructor took control and landed uneventfully. The pilot and flight instructor stated that they completed position reports on the CTAF during all four approaches. They heard a transmission from a different airplane on the ground at PHK, but never heard from another airplane in the traffic pattern. Examination of the airplanes by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the cabin roof fuselage of the Piper and the outboard left wing of the Cessna. Review of ADS-B data revealed that the Piper flew a wider left traffic pattern and the Cessna flew a tighter left traffic pattern before the two airplanes converged on short final approach.