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NTSB Identification: NYC07LA209B
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, September 02, 2007 in Farmingdale, NY
Aircraft: North American SNJ-2, registration: N52033
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

On September 2, 2007, at 1055 eastern daylight time, a North American SNJ-2, N62382, was substantially damaged when was struck by another North American SNJ-2, N52033, while taxiing at Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale, New York. Both certificated airline transport pilots were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plans were filed for the local aerial advertising flights, which were conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The accident airplanes were operating as part of a 5 airplane, aerial advertising formation flight. N62382, the airplane struck, was operating as the number 4 airplane in the formation, and the other airplane, N52033, was operating as the number 5 airplane.

According to the pilot of airplane 5, the airplanes were parked in the order 1, 3, 5, 4, and 2, with airplanes 1 and 3 to his left, and airplanes 4 and 2 to his right. After performing the pre-taxi checks, the airplanes in the formation began to taxi. While still in the parking spot, the pilot of airplane 5 realized that he had forgot to put in his earplugs, so he removed his helmet to put them in. After replacing his helmet, he looked up and saw what he thought was airplane 4, whom he was to follow, was no longer in its parking spot, and that the other airplanes had taxied relatively far down the taxiway. The pilot then taxied out of the parking spot to join the formation. The pilot then began to turn the airplane left when he observed a "flurry of debris" to his left. He immediately shut down the engine, and after exiting the airplane, realized that his airplane has struck airplane 4. The propeller of airplane 5 had damaged the left aileron, outer aft portion of the left wing of air plane 4. Additionally, the pitot tube, located on the right wing of airplane 5 had damaged the rudder of airplane 4.

The pilot of airplane 5 held an airline transport pilot certificate with numerous ratings including airplane single engine land privileges at the commercial pilot level. The pilot's most recent application for an FAA third class medical certificate was dated July 2006, and at that time he reported 11,200 total hours of flight experience.

The pilot of airplane 4 held an airline transport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multiengine land, and a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. The pilot's most recent application for an FAA third class medical certificate was dated April 2007, and at that time he reported 17,750 total hours of flight experience.

The weather conditions reported at Republic Airport, at 1053, included clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, and winds from 030 degrees at 6 knots.