Report Leaves Reason For Accident Undetermined

"Do you have the traffic that's passing underneath you still?"

According to transcripts released by the FAA last week, this fateful question from the Renton, WA Municipal Airport tower to the pilot of a de Havilland DHC-2 was the precursor to an August 4 midair collision involving the floatplane and a Cessna 150.

The Cessna collided with the Beaver fifteen seconds later, resulting in the deaths of the Cessna's pilot and his passenger.

"We gonna declare an emergency," the de Havilland pilot, Fred Bahr, said seconds after the Cessna struck the floatplane from underneath.

As was reported in Aero-News, student pilot Chun Kit "Jack" Ho, a Boeing engineer, and his coworker and flight instructor Kevin Germario Dukes were killed when the 150 fell onto a vacant elementary school.

After a flyover showed the Beaver's floats to be askew from the collision, Bahr was able to make an emergency landing on a grass median bordering Runway 33 at the airport, according to the NTSB Preliminary Report on the accident.

Records show at least three aircraft were approaching the airport under visual separation rules at the time the midair collision occurred. The Cessna was approaching the field from the NE, while the de Havilland and another floatplane were coming from the NW.

According to the transcript, the Cessna's pilot reported having a floatplane in sight, although it's difficult to determine from the transcript if that plane was the de Havilland or the second floatplane approaching the field. A seaplane base is located at the NE corner of the airport.

While the tower's role in the accident is still under question, under VFR conditions ATC is required only to space the aircraft adequately for landing.

Debra Eckrote, senior air safety investigator for the NTSB, told the King County Journal newspaper the majority of the investigation is complete.

(Editor's Note: The following is the last three minutes of communication between the Renton Airport Tower, and the pilots of the de Havilland Beaver floatplane and the Cessna 150M before the midair collision. The numbers are markers on the recording tape.)

• 43:37, Tower: de Havilland seven four one Delta Bravo roger, enter downwind via the 45, uh, you'll be following the Cessna that's ahead and to your right.
• 43:46, de Havilland: OK, uh, we'll, uh, be landing on the water.
• 43:49, Tower: Roger that. He's landing on the hard surface. You'll be doing a low approach over the water. Understand?
• 44:24, Tower: Beaver correction, floatplane one Delta Bravo confirm you have the Cessna in sight.
• 44:29, de Havilland: Ah, we've got an aircraft downwind ahead of us in sight.
• 44:32, Tower: Roger, you're following that aircraft?
• 44:34, de Havilland: Delta Bravo.
• 45:09, Tower: Cessna two three four proceed direct to the downwind.
• 45:13, Cessna: Downwind two three four.
• 45:14, Tower: And you have traffic off your right wing, has you in sight 1,600 floatplane.
• 45:24, Cessna: Traffic in sight, two three four. (This is the last transmission from the Cessna.)
• 45:46, Tower: One Delta Bravo, confirm you're landing on the water.
• 45:49, de Havilland: Affirmative, we have the aircraft on base.
• 45:53, Tower: Do you have the traffic that's passing underneath you still?
• 45:56, de Havilland: Ah, yah, base to final landing on the water (unintelligible).
• 46:06, de Havilland: Mayday! mayday! Uh, Delta Bravo just had a midair.
• 46:13, de Havilland: You copy?
• 46:31, de Havilland: Delta Bravo is on downwind. Uh, we did have an impact. We're gonna declare an emergency.

FMI: Read the NTSB Preliminary Report