Larry Dighera wrote:
On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 17:18:46 GMT, "Mike Rapoport"
wrote in
. net::


It is always interesting how people talk about a slow airplane "crashing
into" a fast airplane. Obviously it isn't possible and a more reasonable
explanation is that the faster airplane flew right into the path of slower
airplane.


The issue is more about which aircraft had the right-of-way than who
hit whom.

Presumably, ATC is off the hook this time (unlike the military-civil
MAC of 11-16-02), because the Air Tractor wasn't equipped with a
transponder nor radios (other than a handheld Comm and GPS). Due to
the lack of Mode C altitude information for the Air Tractor, the radar
data won't show if it was in a climb or descent at the time of the
mishap.

I don't see how the fact of the MAC occurring within a MOA had any
affect in this case.



Perhaps not legally. For the practical matter, I'd say that the
pilot flying should have understood that the presence of the MOA
indicated that there was a pretty good chance that someone would
be using the area for some type of practice, and that perhaps
either a bit of caution was called for, perhaps by flying under,
over, or around the MOA in question. If not willing to do that,
then contacting the local controlling agency should have ensured
that the aircraft operating in the MOA were aware of his presence
and extra precautions taken. It would, almost certainly, have saved
the man's life. Of course, a transponder would likely have done
the same thing, whether he bothered to talk to anyone or not.

Mike