ERA18LA055

Factual narrative

On December 16, 2017, about 1230 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182Q, N199RN, and a Piper J3C-65, N25786, collided in midair near Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport (BUY), Burlington, North Carolina. The private pilot of the Cessna and the commercial pilot of the Piper were not injured. The Cessna and the Piper both sustained substantial damage. Both flights were conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 as personal flights. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plans were filed for either flight. The flights originated at BUY about 1220.The Piper pilot reported that he had recently performed maintenance on the smoke generator system and installed a new fuel pump. Prior to the flight, he asked the Cessna pilot to fly adjacent to him to verify the smoke system operation. After departure, the Piper pilot flew on the right side of the Cessna and both pilots acknowledged each other visually. The Piper pilot turned on the smoke system and the Cessna pilot verified that it operated normally with a "thumbs up" signal. The Piper pilot then broke off to the right to leave the formation. The Piper pilot subsequently elected to fly inverted to check the oil system and mixture control. After clearing for traffic and tightening his harness, he rolled inverted. The systems operated normally, so he rolled again to level the airplane upright. During the return to level flight, he heard a loud noise and the airplane rolled to the right. He believed that he had experienced aileron flutter. He was able to control the airplane and returned to BUY and landed without further incident. It was after landing that he realized that he had collided with the Cessna. The Cessna pilot reported that, after checking the smoke system on the Piper and giving a thumbs up signal, the Cessna pilot climbed and disappeared from view due to the high wing on the Cessna. Subsequently, while still in straight and level flight, he observed a flash of yellow at his 9 o'clock position, which was the Piper in a descent. He reported that the Piper struck his left wing. He was able to maintain airplane control and returned to BUY for landing. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration examined both airplanes. The right wing and aileron of the Piper were structurally damaged, as was the outboard portion of the Cessna's left wing. Numerous paint transfer marks were noted on both airplanes. No other damage was noted. The commercial pilot of the Piper airplane reported that he had recently performed maintenance on the smoke generator. Before the flight, the Piper pilot coordinated with the pilot of a Cessna to fly adjacent to his airplane to verify whether the Piper's smoke system was operating. After departure, the Piper pilot flew on the right side of and parallel to the Cessna, and both pilots acknowledged each other visually. The Cessna pilot subsequently verified that the Piper's smoke system was operating normally with a "thumbs up" signal, and the Piper pilot then broke off to the right, and the Cessna pilot continued straight ahead. After clearing for traffic, the Piper pilot then performed a check of the oil system and mixture control, which required inverted flight. He rolled the airplane inverted, verified the system operation, and then rolled the airplane upright, at which point its right wing collided with the Cessna's left wing. The Cessna pilot saw the Piper strike his airplane while in a descent. The Piper pilot stated that he never saw the Cessna and thought he was experiencing a flight control problem after the collision. Both airplanes returned to the departure airport and landed without further incident. The Piper's right wing and aileron and the Cessna's left wing were structurally damaged. The Cessna pilot was flying straight ahead, and the Piper pilot was maneuvering; therefore, the Piper pilot was responsible for ensuring that the area was clear before initiating the inverted maneuver. Given the described geometry of the collision, the Piper pilot likely did not adequately clear for traffic before beginning the inverted flight maneuver, which he should have done, and failed to see the Cessna before impacting its left wing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Pilot of other aircraft - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Aircraft-Effect on operation - C
• C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Aircraft-Effect on operation - C