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Pilot frustrated by another pilot in the pattern

By NASA · July 5, 2024 · 3 Comments

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 doing a takeoffs and landings training flight at untowered Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport (KGVL) in Gainesville, Georgia, turning onto the downwind when Aircraft Y makes a radio call looking for traffic advisories.

At this point I saw him on ADS-B appearing to be approximately 5 miles out.

As I turn onto left base and make my CTAF call, he snuck up right behind me and turned base seconds after me.

At this point I communicated that he was cutting me off and I began a turn right to re-enter the downwind and avoid him.

I see him on ADS-B doing the same thing, turning directly towards me. This whole time I cannot spot him visually as he is very close and likely above us in my blind spot.

Again trying to avoid traffic I cut power to get lower and turn back onto base/final. He was following closely behind me the whole time even though he claimed to have me in sight on CTAF. I estimate that he was 500 behind me although I could not see him visually as he remained behind me on short final.

I made a call on CTAF that I would be going around to avoid traffic, then he gets on CTAF and says that he will also be going around. I then proceeded to communicate that if he was going around that I would be continuing to land full stop.

When I rounded out I could actually see him out of my window less than 500 feet above us.

At this point I am very frustrated with this guy so I decided to go back to ZZZ where at least I would have tower looking out for me.

Back at ZZZ I heard him also making non-standard radio calls to tower to the point they asked him if he was OK.

Primary Problem: Human Factors

ACN: 2081862

About NASA

NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) captures confidential reports, analyzes the resulting aviation safety data, and disseminates vital information to the aviation community.

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Comments

  1. Oneworld says

    July 8, 2024 at 1:27 pm

    This is totally weird. Gives me the creeps.

    Reply
  2. Doug says

    July 5, 2024 at 6:48 pm

    I had a similar problem while practicing holds over a VOR. On my inbound leg, light twin shows up perpendicular to my course, same altitude. I dove 500’ to avoid. He does cross the VOR, but turns outbound. I went outbound and turned inbound and I see on ADS-B he turns around and again just circles in. I’m 500’ lower and he lowers to my level and comes perpendicular again. I break off from the VOR, turn right, climb 500’. He teased this until I left the VOR. I went 10 miles away and practiced over a gps waypoint. I decided to come back to the VOR and shoot the approach. Guess who comes back in, this time 4 miles outbound from the VOR? And no, he wasn’t practicing himself. His tracks didn’t match even with turn anticipation. I really felt like he was messing with me. How is that even a thing?

    Reply
    • Shary says

      July 8, 2024 at 7:30 am

      Get his number and write up a detailed description of what you/he was doing and report it to the FAAST manager at your FSDO and let them take it from there

      Reply

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