A Piper Cherokee with instructor and student aboard, and a Stinson with one pilot aboard, met on the runway at non-towered Northwest Regional Airport near Roanoke, Texas, Thursday afternoon, coming to rest on the runway with the Cherokee perched atop the Stinson. All parties walked away from the crash. The Stinson was departing and the Piper was arriving at the airport, sometime near 2 p.m., but at precisely the same moment. Pilot Jim Austen was waiting in the Stinson (apparently on the runway) to take off when the Cherokee cleared trees on approach and may have spotted the Stinson on the runway, but too late to avoid impact.
(Click here for video coverage from Channel 8 WFAA.)
It all reminds us of a previous incident back in December of 1999 — only that time, the contact took place above the runway. See Joe Godfrey’s interview with Alan Vangee who was flying a 152 on approach when it was impacted by a Piper Cadet also on approach — both with about 150 feet left until touchdown.
