Mid Air Over the Mojave

[daveT]

Two Bell P-59A Airacomet jets collide over the Mojave Desert
The first jet vs jet mid air

Crash site explored

The skies over American in early 1945 were filled with all kinds of aircraft, but very few jet powered aircraft. So how could two jet powered aircraft in a clear blue sky collide into each other? This story is about how early jet age technology still relied on old radio procedures.

See attached story "Mid Air Over the Mojave"

Enjoy

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Two Bell P-59A Airacomet jets collide over the Mojave Desert
The first jet vs jet mid air

Crash site explored

The skies over American in early 1945 were filled with all kinds of aircraft, but very few jet powered aircraft. So how could two jet powered aircraft in a clear blue sky collide into each other? This story is about how early jet age technology still relied on old radio procedures.

See attached story "Mid Air Over the Mojave"

Enjoy

Even today mid-air collisions happen at time under clear conditions, and even military aircraft flying under ATC control experience dozen of near-misses a year. No aircraft or operation is immune.

"See and be seen."

Resources - Library Contents - FAA - FAASTeam - FAASafety.gov

The MOA around Mohave can still be a very hazardous place.

Resources - Library Contents - FAA - FAASTeam - FAASafety.gov

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Even today mid-air collisions happen at time under clear conditions, and even military aircraft flying under ATC control experience dozen of near-misses a year. No aircraft or operation is immune. [/QUOTE]

Near collisions are actually more common than people think. I believe most occur with 5 miles of an airporr and most often on clear beautiful days (crew is looking at the ground, and not scanning properly).

 

[MIflyer]

"I believe most occur with 5 miles of an airport and most often on clear beautiful days..."

Uh, yes, that describes the situation last Sunday when I got an excessively good look at an RV-6 while on a 45 deg entry to downwind at our airport. I was descending out of about 1100 ft to the 1000 ft AGL pattern altitude, and as usual trying to understand the foreign students in the pattern when the RV-6 suddenly appeared from my left, maybe 50 feet above me at most and about 100 ft away. I dove to 900 ft to make sure I was clear of him. He obviously was cruising along, enjoying the beautiful weather, oblivious to cutting through the traffic pattern of an airport and obviously not listening to the correct radio frequency.

But the best mid-air story I ever heard, by far, was Tony Levier describing how he was flying a P-38 one day and collided with an F4U being piloted by none other than Joe Foss.

Thanks for the P-59 story!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

and as usual trying to understand the foreign students in the pattern

"Lee-klest touch e roll"

 

[XBe02Drvr]

"within five miles of the airport on a bright sunny day." - Nearing DH on the ILS 17 with my student under the hood, her Mooney lit up like a Christmas tree and the empty traffic pattern repeatedly warned of our approach, when a Pitts S-1 slides from under our left wing, turns final RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR PROPELLER and chops power! "I'VE GOT IT! HANG ON AND TAKE YOUR HOOD OFF! Look eleven o clock low. That Pitts was almost in our laps." It took her a moment to extract her face from between her knees where it had been planted by the pull up. We were lucky I didn't break the airplane or stall it. Yup, it can happen any day.