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 landing at St George Regional Airport (KSGU) in Utah and was on the charted CTAF frequency of 123.0.
I made all the calls inbound.
Upon turning to final, I got an iPad alert of traffic. I initially thought it was the system reporting me to myself.
However, I made an evasive 90° turn back to where I had come from. I then saw another plane below me on final.
Luckily I was high/planning to land long or we would have had a mid-air collision.
Upon landing, I tried to find the other pilot, but was unsuccessful.
I spoke to another pilot and was told that the CTAF frequency was 122.8 and had recently been changed back-and-forth.
I went back into ForeFlight and found that the 122.8 was listed in the airport info but the 123.0 was on the chart, and my chart was up to date.
I didn’t find any NOTAMs that would indicate any issues.
Primary Problem: Chart
ACN: 2032996
122.8 changed to 123.075….where does 123 come into it. Sounds like the reporting party had the freq wrong.
It also sounds like a “failure to maintain a proper visual lookout”, probably on the part of both pilots.
When we changed frequencies at our local airport, KVNC, many years ago the first year was chaotic as routinely transient pilots continued to call in on the old frequencies. It was probably a couple of years before most transients became aware of the change. Checking the Airport Facility Directory or NOTAMs did not help since between the airport staff and the FAA posting the change in the Airport Facility Directory was constantly fouled up and it was several months before it made it into the NOTAMs. I don’t believe, if memory serves, the change was ever noted on the AWOS or whatever we had then.
When ATC service to a specific airport is terminated, the Controller may state ‘frequency change approved, contact Airport Advisory’ (or words to that effect). Perhaps it would be better if the correct frequency could be included, such as: ‘change to Anytown Airport Advisory Frequency one two two point eight’.
SGU COMMUNICATIONS CTAF 122.8 CHANGED TO 123.075 2401311752-PERMANENT. SGU 01/016
Effective Jan 31, 10:52 MST (Active)
NOTAM copied from Foreflight 03/29/24
I looked up the report in the database, this happened in September of 2023.
Perhaps part of the problem was using the pattern but not pattern altitude thereby losing visual horizontal separation. Remember, radio communication isn’t always required, see and avoid is.
I’m seeing 123.075 as CTAF on Foreflight. This whole part is a little confusing, to me.
‘I spoke to another pilot and was told that the CTAF frequency was 122.8 and had recently been changed back-and-forth. I went back into ForeFlight and found that the 122.8 was listed in the airport info but the 123.0 was on the chart, and my chart was up to date.”
—————-
When did you speak to another pilot–on the ground in person at St. George that day? What do you mean by “chart,” a hard-copy paper chart, or one in Foreflight, like Jepp or FAA chart?
Correct – 123.075 on the Sectional and the Chart Supplement.
Once published in the Chart Supplement, NOTAM will be cancelled. This may come as a surprise,, but not everyone gets updated publications or reads them.