This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I was returning VFR/VMC to ZZZ. I flew a straight in to Runway XX and announced my intentions and position numerous times on frequency Unicom (CTAF).
On short final, two RV aircraft pulled onto the runway without transmitting on UNICOM. I called “1 mile final” and shortly later “go around.”
As I started my go around, I displaced to the right over the taxiway away from pattern, and to keep the formation in sight. After I started my go around, the two aircraft started their takeoff roll without transmitting.
I called to the takeoff aircraft that I was displaced to right on go around. There was no response from formation.
Other aircraft on the field made comment on UNICOM about safety shown by aircraft at ZZZ in general.
At the departure end of the runway the formation started to pull away from me. I received what I believed to be my first transmission from the RV formation. I was told “it wasn’t even close,” and why was I “flying over the hangars, don’t you read the AIM?’
He said we would talk later and “he would find me.”
At normal crosswind turn point with formation still straight out I called and asked if RVs were straight out or crosswind. After no response I turned late crosswind and called my position on the radio.
I then saw they turned crosswind without calling position. I turned tight downwind to stay inside faster aircraft. At normal base turn position they started a left turn without calling and cut across final with a turn to the east.
I feel the most dangerous part of the situation was not the near miss, but the formation’s disregard for other aircraft at the field. The only time the formation called on the radio was to give me feedback on what they thought of my airmanship.
ZZZ is very busy with lots of students. Upon going to the FBO I found out they were well aware of the incident. They are pulling tapes of transmissions and ADS-B tracks. They rolled the FAA FAASTeam rep since this is a continuation of a problem that he has personally experienced.
I believe there will be an aircraft accident at ZZZ unless the RV formations work to safely fly with everyone at airport, fly normal patterns, and TALK on the radio.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1869345
I just want to say how important it is to have the ability to comment. This is a great web site.
Landing aircraft always have the right of way. The narrative implies that the landing aircraft would have overflown the departing RVs.
The RVs were at fault if this is the case but the reporting pilot needs to realize that making radio calls does not grant right of way privileges.
Thanks
My take away is that landing aircraft on a straight in approach make it more difficult to be seen by departing aircraft.
Gotta be Eff Eff Cee
Traffic patterns should flown at all times!
It could have been a J3 Cub with no radio or the departing aircraft could have been on the wrong frequency.
On a VFR day there is no excuse for straight in approaches!
Fly the pattern so everyone can strain looking for traffic in front, behind, across the ends, other side and all at different distances and various altitudes?
Personally never had a problem in 50 years positioning for straight in or base,.,,,it’s easier to keep track of pattern people….LOL
I have 3 comments;
– flying a straight in at a non-towered airport is not recommended, since the aircraft is never in the pattern, and are required to yield to other aircraft.
ie; Aircraft flying an ILS approach are required to not interfere with other VFR traffic.
– at non-towered airports there is no requirement to use the ctaf to report position.
[ I do wish the FAA would designate certain busy airports as mandatory ctaf use, as does Canada ]
– A ‘1 mile final’ is not short final, and there is usually sufficient time for the aircraft taking off to clear the runway well before the ‘1 mile’ aircraft is over the numbers.
So, learn the regs and fly safely.!
Flying a published pattern (recommended by FAA) gives pilots an opportunity to see you.
I know the airport name / code is redacted in these reports. But as a service to us other pilots, reporting which airport in this case would be useful.
Information is redacted by NASA.
I personally hate to be the one to call the FAA about another pilot’s unsafe flying, especially over a one time event, but if this is a regular, repetitive disregard for safety, maybe it’s time to make an official report. Contrary to common belief, non-towered operations are not “anything goes”.
I have what I call is the “sleep test.”
If I don’t say something…..and someone dies, how will I sleep at night?
I’ve already decided in advace on some issues. For example, if I see a pilot, obviously intoxicated, attempting to fly, especially with passengers, I would do everything in my power to stop them, including parking my car in front of the aircraft.
I like that. I had a similar experience in which I thought, if I don’t do something, I won’t be able to sleep.
A couple landed a Cherokee 180 at about 9:30 at night at the old Fort Collins Downtown Airport years ago, after making several aborted approaches. They taxied in, seeking fuel. In our conversation, I learned that they had flown all the way from Jackson, WY, largely flying in the dark following headlights, because the pilot’s portable GPS had failed (no extra batteries) and the pilot had forgotten how to use VORs. Because they hadn’t gone a direct route, they’d been in the air almost 5 hours, and the fuel gauges were on empty. When he saw the “all night” lights at the airport, he thought he was approaching Cheyenne and even called the Cheyenne Tower, but got no answer.
Knowing the fuel burn (10 gph) and capacity (50 gallons) of the airplane because I had flown charters in one several years earlier, I took it upon myself to look into the tanks—both were apparently dry. But the FBO was closed, so the pilot asked if I knew if the Fort Collins/Loveland airport FBO, 7 miles away, was open. I knew it was, but I told him that I didn’t think he should try to fly there with no visible fuel in the tanks. Their home was in Longmont, so I offered to lend them my pickup, with the idea that they could return the next day. But he was insistent that they could make it. Then his wife chimed in, “He’s such a good pilot. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” All I could think of that moment was that this delightful and innocent young woman would be dead in a few minutes, if I didn’t act.
I decided that I would park my pickup in front of their airplane if they tried to leave, but just as I made that decision, another airplane taxied in. It was one of the FBO employees, returning from a long cross country, part of his commercial requirements. He was willing to open up and refuel the Cherokee. He did—and it took 50.8 gallons. It occurred to me that if the pilot had tried to go without refueling, the engine would likely not have started at all.
I did not report the pilot to the FAA. However, I was chatting with my regular instructor the next day about the event. He knew the pilot, and he volunteered to have a discussion with him. Since he is also an FAAST Team safety representative, I suspect that discussion was pretty thorough.