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.
Piper Cherokee Pilot’s Narrative
Today we were using Runway XX at ZZZ. Myself and one other plane were using XX. Winds were calm and XX is the wind’s calm runway. Both planes were making comms and we made our announcement of taking the runway.
We were doing a short field takeoff, so holding brakes and throttle full. As we were making our final check, a Citation took Runway YY without making any calls.
We closed the throttle and I immediately got onto the comms and announced to the Citation, “Aircraft X currently on active XX.”
No comms back from the Citation and they started their rolls. I had to take controls and we had no taxiways I could exit off of in time so I taxied close to the grass.
Before pulling off into the grass I saw the Citation had lifted off so I held short of the grass and the Citation climbed out above us as we were on the active runway.
Both myself and the other airplane in the pattern attempted to reach the Citation throughout all of this, but they were not responding or communicating anything.
Citation Captain’s Narrative
While taxiing out, we did not notice any other traffic on the ground or in the air. Wind was calm and we opted to use Runway YY as we were departing to the North.
We called for and received an IFR release from Approach with no other advisories.
We made taxi calls and a departure announcement on comm #1 and communicated with Approach on comm #2.
As we took the runway for departure we did not see any traffic on the runway and proceeded to depart. As we accelerated to V1, I became aware of a Piper type aircraft sitting on the opposite end of the runway with no lights on. I opted to continue the departure as I felt an abort would result in a more likely risk of collision.
After becoming airborne and clear of any risk, I realized that comm #1 was set to XXX.XX instead of the UNICOM frequency. Comm #1 was somehow inadvertently set to the wrong frequency and it was not noticed due to expectation that there was no traffic and thus not uncommon for a lack of radio communications for an early morning departure.
I will be checking and double checking that the correct frequency is entered prior to movement.
Citation First Officer’s Narrative
Taxi for Runway YY with standard calls on comm 1. Comm 1 was set XXX.XX instead of YYY.YY. There was no traffic heard while taxiing and monitoring the correct frequency on comm 2. When I switched frequencies to Departure Clearance on comm 2 we were then monitoring and calling on the wrong frequency on comm 1.
After being cleared for departure I called for Runway YY departing to the east and at about V1 the Piper aircraft had entered the opposite Runway XX.
Upon departure we realized the frequency was incorrect. Comm 1 set inadvertently to the wrong frequency while monitoring the correct frequency on comm 2.
At such an early departure time there is seldom any traffic at the airport and I was not anticipating any.
Making absolutely sure correct frequencies are loaded and then checking them again for accuracy.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1993401
Best practice is to always do a radio check on unicorn to make sure you’re tuned, volume is up, and radio can transmit and receive.
Another good reason to have ADSB-IN! If Both had it, both would have been aware of the other!
Should have monitored Unicom and transmitted their intentions and position on Unicom regardless of their release from APPROACH CONTROL
During recent insurance required recurrency training my instructor gave me a tip that might help in this situation: Always, regardless of the time of day at a nontowered airport switch on the lights via the radio. This accomplishes two things: (a) it lets others know that the airfield is active, and (b) it makes sure you do have the right frequency loaded (for most airports anyway).
If the lights are ALREADY on, then you KNOW there are aircraft on the field, so double up your vigilance.
Way to go to the Piper pilot. Way to always be looking out and not assuming there wasn’t any traffic because it was early in the morning.
In today’s GAN email there was an article about how important it is to use a radio, even in aircraft that are not so equipped or capable of using even a handheld radio (A stock J3 Cub, for example.), In the name of safety.
And here is an article about two aircraft, both equipped with radios,, one with two professional pilots on board, and yet they almost collided because the business jet didn’t look out the windscreen when they didn’t hear any radio transmissions. Turns out they were on the wrong frequency.
Jamie Beckett also mentioned in his article that being on the wrong frequency is also just as bad as not being on any frequency.
Foolishly intentionally refusing to use a tool and making a mistake while using that tool are two totally different things.
And yes assuming no one else gets up this early to go flying is also a bad idea along with not looking out the window.
But had they been on the right frequency they would have heard the traffic as soon as they left the hangar or during the time they spent taxiing to the wrong runway and would have known there was someone else in the pattern WAY before they got to where they could look down the runway.
Expectation bias has led to many accidents. “At such an early departure time there is seldom any traffic at the airport and I was not anticipating any.”
2 “professional” pilots don’t double check each other and don’t select the proper “no-wind” runway, almost causing a serious accident. Sounds like both of these guys need some additional ADM training.
Geez, two “professional pilots” in the Citation and they still screw it up!
Yep – crews miss things too (recent JFK runway incursion) – they have a heavy workload at that point and many don’t fly frequently at one particular airport. I think the statistics would show that the lowest errors are performed by student pilots, and then it goes downhill from there.
1) the Piper not having a lit landing light could have been because it had burned out. Hard to detect during the day while doing T&Gs.
2) Preferred calm wind runway. Failure to look all the way down the runway. And being more concerned about their clearance void than traffic. They decided to use what would cut off a few minutes.
3) the jet traffic was unaware of a second plane in the pattern — they didn’t mention it.
Suppose that the piper had released their brakes and were rolling….