At about 1427 eastern time, a Piper PA-30 and a Cessna 150H collided in-flight while in the traffic pattern at the Clearwater Air Park. The Cessna crashed and the pilot was killed. The Twin Comanche was damaged but the pilot was able to land the airplane with no injuries to the two aboard. The Piper was on an IFR flight plan from Winter Haven to Clearwater. The Cessna was on a local flight. The Piper had advised Tampa Approach that the airport was in sight and the controller cleared him for a visual approach. The pilot then canceled IFR and the controller acknowledged and advised the pilot of traffic 1.5 miles north of the airport, heading south. The Piper pilot advised he would look for traffic. The Piper pilot announced his entry into the traffic pattern on the airports Unicom frequency and advised of all turns in the pattern. The Cessna pilot advised on Unicom that he was crossing midfield but did not announce direction or intentions. No other radio transmissions from the Piper were heard. The Piper pilot said he was 2/3 down the runway on the downwind leg when his passenger hollered. He looked to his right and observed an airplane so close that he did not have time to take corrective action before the collision.
January 17, Clearwater, Fla. / Twin Comanche and Cessna 150
At about 1427 eastern time, a Piper PA-30 and a Cessna 150H collided in-flight while in the traffic pattern at the Clearwater Air Park. The Cessna crashed and the pilot was killed. The Twin Comanche was damaged but the pilot was able to land the airplane with no injuries to the two aboard. The Piper was on an IFR flight plan from Winter Haven to Clearwater. The Cessna was on a local flight. The Piper had advised Tampa Approach that the airport was in sight and the controller cleared him for a visual approach. The pilot then canceled IFR and the controller acknowledged and advised the pilot of traffic 1.5 miles north of the airport, heading south. The Piper pilot advised he would look for tra...
Key Takeaways:
- An in-flight collision occurred at Clearwater Air Park between a Piper PA-30 and a Cessna 150H, resulting in the death of the Cessna pilot and damage to the Piper.
- The Piper, which had canceled IFR after being cleared for a visual approach and advised of traffic by ATC, made several standard pattern calls on the airport's Unicom frequency.
- The Cessna pilot made only one transmission on Unicom, stating they were crossing midfield but not indicating direction or intentions, and the collision occurred on the Piper's downwind leg.
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