On Monday afternoon, pilot Robert Johnson had just touched down in his Bonanza at the Los Alamos County Airport in New Mexico when his passenger noticed an ominous-looking shadow just ahead. Another Bonanza, on short final, was trying to land on the same runway, and crashed into the top of Johnson’s airplane. Unhurt, Johnson struggled to maintain control as the two entangled aircraft rolled down the runway and coasted to a stop. The pilot of the second airplane, who also was uninjured, said he’d mistakenly been tuned to the wrong radio frequency, and the first Bonanza was not visible to him as he flew the approach. Johnson and his passenger were unable to open the doors or windows and had to be extricated from the cockpit by rescue workers. A similar accident occurred in Florida in December 1999. A Piper Cadet and a Cessna 152 collided on final and landed while stuck together. Nobody was hurt, and damage to both aircraft was minimal. The airplanes were separated and the Piper flew home the next day. Both the Piper pilot and the 152 pilot spoke with AVweb‘s Joe Godfrey to describe their experiences.
Two Bonanzas Land On Same Runway, At Same Time
Key Takeaways:
- Two Bonanza aircraft collided on the runway at Los Alamos County Airport when one attempted to land on top of the other.
- The collision occurred because the pilot of the second Bonanza was on the wrong radio frequency and did not see the first aircraft.
- Remarkably, all occupants in both planes were uninjured, though those in the lower aircraft had to be extricated by rescue workers.
- The article notes a similar incident in Florida in 1999 where two planes collided on final approach, landed entangled, and resulted in no injuries.
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