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’m a student pilot training at ZZZ. This incident occurred on a clear day while practicing touch and goes in the pattern in a C172P. After my second touch and go I was on the runway applying full power for another takeoff. While building speed to takeoff before I started rotating I heard the Controller clear an airplane that was holding short to takeoff on the same runway I was on.
I’d never seen a Controller do this and it seemed unusual at the time but I continued my takeoff.
My climb-out was normal and I turned crosswind at about 600 AGL. Right before beginning the turn to downwind I heard my traffic alert go off telling me I had close traffic at 8 o’clock.
I began my turn to downwind while looking for the traffic expecting it to be in the upwind. Instead the other pilot had made their crosswind turn closer to the runway and had cut me off while climbing. Luckily they were in a SR22 and at a higher altitude than mine, but they were right in front of me, taking up almost my entire windshield. While they may have been slightly too high for us to collide, I feared for my safety considering how close they were and pulled power to idle immediately and initiated a descent.
After they were clear of me and continued their crosswind departure I regained my altitude and continued in the pattern as usual.
Since I’ve never had an incident like this and was surprised, I did not think to notify the Tower while in the air.
Once on the ground, I wanted to discuss it with an experienced pilot, my instructor and the head of flight school. We went over the voice recording and I was educated about this reporting service.
My instructor and I located the other pilot and had a debrief call of the incident. They acknowledged the incident as well and confirmed they started their turn at 400 AGL. They shared that they did not see me after I took off. They weren’t sure if I was still on the runway when they were cleared, but agreed that they could have been more vigilant and less complacent when the Tower cleared them for left turnout and knowing another plane was in the pattern. They also confirmed their traffic alert triggered as well (theirs was older and didn’t call my location).
We discussed the implications of the classic high-wing/low-wing combination and how it further contributed to this very dangerous situation (they were right wing up while I was on their right with left wing down).
On my end, I figured out it would’ve been good for me to call out that I was in the upwind and turning crosswind and downwind in the same direction they cleared to turn out. Chances are the other more experienced pilot would have reacted to my callout with more vigilance.
Also, since I felt the Tower cleared them to takeoff too early I could have also considered aborting my takeoff and questioning it on the ground.
Finally, we asked the flight school to share this with the Tower Supervisor so they can learn and improve as well.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1966636
Sounds like the virtual tower.
Completely the tower’s fault in not controlling his/her pattern. There was no problem in clearing the Cirrus, in the business, its called anticipated separation. What should have been done was either 1) Make sure the Cirrus has you sight before takeoff clearance(as to not to be a distraction shortly after liftoff) is issued and of your direction of turn in the pattern work : if they didnt see you while in position , then them to fly runway heading until they had you in sight , then tell them to maintain visual separation from you and preceed on course , then IMMEDIATELY next transmission exchange the traffic with you and that they have you in sight maintaining visual sep , so you don’t get the startle factor. 2) Tell Cirrus to fly runway, ill call call your turn behind slower departing pattern traffic. Do not call out your segments of your pattern, clogging up the frequency until instructed to do. Radio discipline , etiquette and brevity is becoming a lost art. Your instructor should have called the tower and have a nice conversation about this. Easy resolutions when on top of your game in the tower.
Sort of a perfect storm. Early release of the second airplane behind a slower one. Neither pilot questions the spacing. Very early turn to crosswind of the second one which reduces the spacing faster. No warning to the second pilot of the traffic ahead, it’s intentions, and to maintain visual separation.
Complacency, as mentioned, at a towered airport is a good point to consider. It’s easy to get into the mindset that the tower controller will always maintain proper spacing for all aircraft. Usually that’s what happens but definitely not always.
Tower sounds lackadaisical. Perhaps they were watching The View.
Seriously, you did well contacting the other pilot and discussing it in a civilized manner. I’m sure all parties learned something….towers make mistakes, too.
Should have been towers call to either shortening your pattern turn or delay the second aircraft’s take off or extending the second aircraft’s take off turn out due to a faster t/o speed. My opinion is the tower is at fault.