Canada’s TSB Reports on Virginia Midair

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 09:27 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A May 28 midair collision near Warrenton, Virginia, involved a Beech Bonanza owned by an NTSB employee and a Piper Cherokee owned by an FAA employee.
The collision resulted in two fatalities aboard the Bonanza, while the Cherokee pilot survived after a forced landing.
Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is leading the investigation to avoid potential conflicts of interest for U.S. agencies.
The TSB is analyzing factors such as the "see and be seen" defense for VFR flight and FAA controller responses to collision alerts, which sounded just before impact.

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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its first docket of factual information surrounding the May midair collision of a Beech Bonanza and Piper Cherokee near Warrenton, Virginia, involving airplanes owned by an NTSB and FAA employee. The NTSB has asked the Canadian agency to take the lead in the investigation to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

According to the TSB report, on May 28 at 4:05 p.m. a Beechcraft V35B Bonanza owned by, Dr. James Duncan, an NTSB employee, was in a shallow climb headed southbound when it collided with a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee owned by Thomas Proven, an FAA employee, which was in level flight headed in a southeasterly direction.