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 a runway at Los Alamos County Airport when one attempted to land on an already occupied runway, though all occupants remarkably escaped injury.
- The collision was attributed to the second pilot being tuned to an incorrect radio frequency, preventing awareness of the first aircraft's presence.
- This incident echoes a similar 1999 accident in Florida where two light aircraft collided on final approach, landed while entangled, and also resulted in no injuries.
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