2 Pilots Narrowly Avert Disaster Both Planes Land Safely After Clipping Each Other

Spokane pilot Andy Gillespie thought he’d hit a bird when he lost part of his landing gear over Felts Field on Wednesday.

Turns out, it was another plane.

Gillespie and a student pilot narrowly - and unwittingly - escaped disaster when they clipped each other at about 4,000 feet, officials said Thursday.

The collision tore the right wheel off Gillespie’s Cessna 182 and damaged the horizontal stabilizer on the unidentified student’s Beechcraft Skipper, said Jeff Guzzetti of the National Transportation Safety Board.

“Neither one of them saw the other before, during or after the collision,” Guzzetti said of the uninjured pilots. “They’re extremely fortunate. Many midair collisions result in fatalities.”

The accident occurred about 8 a.m. over the small airport in east Spokane.

The student pilot was practicing maneuvers when he felt a jar, said Guzzetti, who interviewed both men.

“He was looking outside doing his S-turns when he heard a thump,” Guzzetti said. The pilot landed later and discovered his airplane had been damaged.

Gillespie - who was climbing out of the airport on his way to Coeur d’Alene - was adjusting some navigational equipment when he said he felt a bump.

Gillespie “wasn’t sure what had happened,” Guzzetti said. “He thought he had a bird strike.”

Gillespie looked out the window and saw that one of his two front landing wheels had been sheared off.

He notified the tower, then spent nearly three hours flying around the airport to burn off fuel in an effort to reduce fire danger when he landed.

Gillespie set the Cessna down without problems just before noon. It skidded to a stop and he climbed out.

The student pilot later realized what had happened when he heard about Gillespie’s problems, Guzzetti said. “He put two and two together,” he said.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

, DataTimes