Mid-Air Collision During Landing
Two single-engine small airplanes collided in mid-air during a landing attempt. A witness who is a pilot reported that the planes appeared to be trying to land at the same time and one plane came in on top of the other. The accident happened at approximately 11:00 a.m. on September 7, 2016 in Carroll County, Georgia. Three people are confirmed dead as a result of the accident but have not been identified by name.
This tragic aviation accident was the result of pilot error and a lack of sophisticated avionics to prevent such accidents from happening. Many modern aircraft have traffic alerts or some sort of "active traffic" radar detection of other aircraft while many older airplanes are not worth the upgrade in technology. Below is an image from Garmin aviation GPS traffic alert and collision avoidance system.
Problems such as the one that caused this crash happen more frequently at airfields that are not controlled by an air traffic control tower. In airfields without an ATC, the pilots are on their own to look out for traffic and be aware of their surroundings. Two of the deaths in this particular accident can likely be classified as wrongful deaths and may make a claim against the pilot who came from above and behind. The plane that is lower and closer to the runway in the air traffic pattern must be yielded to under these circumstances.
If you need advice regarding a Florida aviation accident, please contact a Florida aviation accident attorney for a free consultation and case review.
