Both Aircraft Involved Were Owned By Federal Employees

In something of a rare move, the NTSB has delegated the investigation of Monday's mid-air collision which occurred about five miles from Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Sumerduck, VA, to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada ... but they have a compelling reason to do so.

On May 28, 2012, at approximately 1621 EDT, a Piper PA-28 and a Beechcraft BE-35 collided in flight. Following the mid-air collision, the Piper PA-28 crash landed in a field and the BE-35 went down in a wooded area and caught fire. The pilot of the Piper survived the collision with injuries, but the two occupants of the BE-35 were fatally injured. The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is responsible for making the proper identifications and death notifications.

Following the accident, investigators learned that the owner and pilot of the PA-28 was an FAA employee, and an NTSB employee is the registered owner of the BE-35.

Because both airplanes were owned and/or operated by NTSB and FAA employees, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman, in consultation with FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta, requested that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) conduct this investigation. "This accident hits especially close to home, with the involvement of an NTSB employee," said Chairman Hersman. "I'm grateful to TSB-Canada Chair Wendy Tadros for agreeing to conduct the investigation, and the NTSB stands ready to support and assist them in any way we can."

NTSB investigator Paul Cox will serve as the NTSB's Accredited Representative to the TSB investigation.

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca, www.ntsb.gov, www.faa.gov