The two vintage biplanes, both Boeing-Stearman Model 75, were operating at a private airport in Bealeton, Virginia, that provided air shows and airplane rides to the public.
The pilot of the departing airplane taxied for takeoff and was number two behind another airplane that was taxiing ahead of him.
At the same time, the pilot of the landing airplane was in the traffic pattern, preparing for landing.
Local procedures required landing airplanes to make a low approach to signal airplanes taking off that a landing was imminent. The procedure was implemented because some airplanes at the airport were not equipped with radios. Landing aircraft had the right-of-way over aircraft taking off.
The pilot of the landing airplane reported that he performed the required low approach, completed the traffic pattern, and proceeded onto final approach for landing.
At the same time, the pilot of the departing airplane taxied onto the runway for takeoff and did not see the low approach by the landing airplane or his subsequent pattern.
The pilot of the landing airplane did not see the departing airplane on the runway and landed on top of the departing airplane before the departing airplane became airborne.
Both airplanes sustained substantial damage, the two pilots had minor injuries, and two passengers were not injured.
Although both airplanes were equipped with radios, neither pilot was making radio calls. Instead, they relied only on the established visual traffic separation procedures.
A review of the airport’s standard operating procedures revealed that they did not address the use of radios or encourage pilots to use them if equipped.
Following the accident, the airport made several modifications to its local procedures, including recommending that all pilots of aircraft equipped with radios use them while in the traffic pattern and moving the holding area short of the runway to another location that afforded better visibility of the traffic pattern.
Probable Cause: The pilot of the departing airplane’s failure to see and avoid the landing airplane before takeoff, resulting in a collision with the landing airplane. Contributing was the airport’s failure to encourage pilots to use radios for traffic deconfliction when equipped.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This August 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I’m glad nobody was killed and it is a shame about the two beautiful aircraft. But, it’s getting to the point where my co-owner and I are refusing to fly to nontowered airfields. There seems to be an unspoken agreement among pilots who populate these places that since there is no tower, anything goes. Flying right traffic in a left traffic pattern, squeezing in an intersection departure ahead of traffic entering the runway, VFR straight in approaches when the pattern is full of aircraft, and “I’m faster so I’ll just overtake you on the downwind.” And of course, no radio calls because Chuck Yeager didn’t use a radio or something. As we saw in Watsonville in 2022, this kind of jackassery gets people killed. Please stop.
A 200 dollar hand held radio could have prevented all of this misery.
I remain at a loss for why some pilots absolutely refuse to make position calls on the radio or state their intentions. It’s undeniably safer than not making calls and the repair bill for a well used radio is far less than the repair bill on an aircraft that has impacted another because the pilot was unaware of the conflicting traffic.
Habit, ego, ignorance, whatever the issue we should all learn to get over it and use the radio whether it’s required or not.
At least the Stearman “fixit guru”, Kampel Enterprises in Dillsburg, PA isn’t too far away from Bealeton!
Just like using turn signals on the road is a legal requirement, using radios should be a legal requirement for GA. Plus every GA should have a radio, even if it’s an economy model portable. Radio communication is life-saving. Regards/J
If some aircraft owners do not use their radios I am looking for a set. (HA)