NTSB Factual Report

On October 26, 2012, about 1650 central daylight time, a Grumman American Aviation Corp. AA-5A, N26380, and a Piper PA-22, N2633A, were substantially during a ground collision at H. L. Sonny Callahan Airport (CQF), Fairhope, Alabama. The certificated commercial pilot of the Piper, and the certificated private pilot and the passenger aboard the Grumman were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for either of the personal flights, which were both conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot of the Grumman, he arrived at the airport around 1500 to begin the preflight inspection of the airplane, which included a visual inspection of the tires. About 1620, the pilot and the passenger departed for a local flight, and at the conclusion of the flight, returned to CQF from the east. About 3 to 4 miles from the airport, the pilot advised via radio that he would cross overhead of the airport and enter on the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern for landing on runway 1. After entering the traffic pattern, the pilot observed the Piper on taxiway A2, and announced that he was turning onto the base, then final legs of the traffic pattern. The pilot of the Grumman stated that he did not hear transmissions from any other airplanes while in the traffic pattern, and noted that the Piper had remained stationary on the taxiway.

The pilot of the Grumman stated that his airplane touched down about 500 feet down the runway, and rolled another 300 to 400 feet before it suddenly veered left. The pilot responded by applying the right toe brake, which momentarily corrected the airplane’s track, but the airplane continued off the left side of the runway toward the Piper. The Grumman subsequently departed the runway south of taxiway A2, continued to turn left, and its left wing contacted the propeller of the Piper. The Grumman then pivoted to the left, and the propeller of the Grumman contacted the wing of the Piper. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot of the Grumman noted that his airplane’s left tire appeared to be “flat.”

According to the pilot of the Piper, following an uneventful preflight inspection and run up of the engine, he approached the runway from taxiway A2. After hearing no other traffic on the airport common traffic advisory frequency, the pilot of the Piper turned his airplane to gain an unobstructed view of the final approach path, and observed the Grumman as it was on final approach to the runway. He then stopped his airplane about 75 feet short of the runway edge in order to wait for the Grumman to land. The pilot watched as the Grumman landed, veered off the left side of the runway, struck a taxiway marker, and impacted the Piper.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined both airplanes following the accident and determined that each of them sustained substantial damage during the collision. The inspector further examined the brake system of the Grumman, and found that they appeared to operate normally, with neither brake displaying evidence of binding, uneven wear, or scoring. The flat left tire was removed from the wheel, and a small 1/4-inch gash was noted on the tire tube. No visible marks, debris, or puncture was noted anywhere on the tire. The area of the tire that covered the gash in the tube did appear to display some wrinkling. It could not be determined whether this damage occurred prior to or during the ground collision.

The single asphalt runway at CQF was 6,604 feet long by 100 feet wide and was configured in a 1/19 orientation. A parallel taxiway spanning the full length of the runway was present on the west side of the runway. Taxiway A1 was located at the southernmost end of the runway, at the runway 1 approach threshold. Taxiway A2 intersected the runway about 1,000 feet beyond the runway threshold. The airport was not served by a local air traffic control tower.

The weather conditions reported at CQF, at 1655, included winds from 320 degrees magnetic at 5 knots, clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, temperature 28 degrees Celsius (C), dewpoint 18 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.89 inches of mercury.

NTSB Probable Cause

The Grumman pilot’s loss of directional control during landing for undetermined reasons because postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident was the Piper pilot positioning his airplane beyond the runway hold short line.