October 21, 2007 Midair Collision Ends Happily

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By Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief

There were no injuries in the midair collision of a Cessna 152 and a Piper Saratoga five miles out of Republic Airport on Long Island early Sunday evening. Airport spokesman Gary Lewi told Newsday that the two aircraft, both based at Republic, "bumped" each other about 6:15 p.m. while they were both heading back to the airport. The Saratoga lost about a foot of wing, causing a fuel leak, while the Cessna had wing and windshield damage. Both landed uneventfully (except for all those trucks on the runway). The pilot was the only person on board the Cessna and there were two people in the Saratoga. The Saratoga lost a landing light, which fell into the yard of a home under construction in Dix Hills, and there were no injuries on the ground. Lewi said the pilot of the Saratoga reported he had no problem controlling the aircraft. The airport remained open during the drama as both damaged aircraft were cleared to land on the same runway, leaving a second runway open for other traffic.

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Listen to an MP3 file of the tower exchange.