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 approached ZZZ from the southwest, landing on Runway XX. I stated my intention to land on Runway XX on CTAF, but I mistakenly stated that I would enter the left downwind on the 45.
Another pilot, a flight of two aerobatic airplanes, questioned my call. I clarified that I would overfly the runway at midfield at pattern altitude and join the downwind leg for Runway XX.
Aside from the flight of two aerobatic airplanes, I heard a call from a Cessna that was 3 miles out.
The flight of two aerobatic airplanes’ lead aircraft pilot was very active on CTAF explaining in great detail how they were approaching the airport for landing and how they would break and circle to land. I was trying to understand their position and intentions as I overflew the airport.
I announced on CTAF that I was at midfield and would be joining the left downwind for Runway XX. I did not hear any responses. I turned left to join the left downwind and landed normally.
While I was tying down my airplane, the lead pilot from the flight of two aerobatic airplanes drove up and introduced himself. He informed me that I had been party to a near miss on the downwind leg. I apparently cut off another airplane and that airplane descended below my flight path. I never saw another airplane in the pattern.
I had my iPad mini running Garmin Pilot in split screen mode with traffic on the right side. I never saw traffic approaching my flight path either on the iPad or visually.
I did not properly determine that the downwind leg to my right was clear before I joined the downwind leg. I also allowed the lead pilot in the two aircraft flight to distract me with the extensive description of unusual pattern activity. Further, I did not have the traffic screen zoomed in sufficiently to discern converging traffic.
To avoid any similar issue in the future, I will do a far better job of visually clearing legs in any pattern for converging traffic and carry out more deliberate clearing turns prior to any substantial heading change.
Additionally, I will attempt to avoid allowing radio chatter to distract me from building a complete mental picture of my environment.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2072706
If it takes a “extensive description of unusual pattern activity” n the radio, then you probably doing something out of the norm, it’s not worth it. Just join the pattern normally – old school 45 degree downwind entry if that is possible at the airport.
You can show off your double overhead pretend fighter pilot approach to someone else latter when you are in the middle of nowhere. The rest of us don’t care about it.
If you’re looking at an iPad for traffic, you are the problem.
If you think every aircraft is equipped with an ADS-B out, you are the problem.
If you believe every aircraft has a radio and should use it, you are the problem.
If you cannot decipher or make sense of the existing traffic radio calls, you are the problem.
If you are unsure of what to do, you will become the problem.
If you identify with any of the above, seek immediate instruction from someone with gray hair and experience with steam gauge-equipped aircraft. 🙂
If this pisses you off, seek psychological help, immediately, or at least before your next ego trip into the air. 🙂
Robert,
Thanks.!! well said.!
What ever happen to the up wind entry?
The FAA has screwed that up by calling the departure leg “up wind.”
no such thing…!!
There is an overhead break that at the approach end, makes a left crosswind 180 to a short downwind, then a 180 to a short final.
But normal pattern traffic can’t see the approaching aircraft as they cut a short crosswind, usually above PA.
In this case the mid-field cross aircraft was already in the pattern, which the overhead break were not, until they descended into the downwind.
How they got below the downwind aircraft is a mystery to me.!?
AC-90-66C does not show an overhead break, but the midfield cross at PA, turning downwind is, as well as the midfield cross at 500 ft above PA and then flying 2 nm , then a right to the 45 entry.
The AIM, 5-4-27 has a very short description of the ‘Overheard Approach Maneuver’, with figure 5-4-32….which is a bit crude.
Another example of where pilots just making announcements leads to problems. Often you have two pilots who are both proceeding correctly, but are still on an eventual collision course. There’s got to be a conversion between both to decide on a plan that will avoid trouble. Position reports alone won’t do it.
Conversation (only had one cup of coffee).
A pet peeve of mine is pilots that insist upon doing a break when a standard traffic pattern is in in use. They can’t check their fighter pilot egos long enough to do what’s safe and right. It happens a lot and most of them seem to fly a particular brand of homebuilt. I’ve lost SA on other traffic in a busy pattern a few times and will initiate a climb and exit the pattern and come back and do it again.
Safer to overfly the airport 500 feet above pattern altitude and do a 270 turn to a 45 to downwind, rather than flying directly over the airport directly to the downwind. Why not?
Yes, this is the direct consequence of the ill thought out FAA advisory to fly over the airport and directly enter the downwind from the runway side, as other traffic flies the 45 and that puts you head to head with them, or at the least complicates the pattern for everyone else by an unexpected butting into line. Also, the idea that somehow announcing on the unicom is the same as giving yourself permission to do what you are doing. It doesn’t. Left hand patterns, unless local rules say differently, are in the regs. Taking six extra minutes to properly enter the 45 and get set up for the landing isn’t hard to do. And everyone is just that much safer. Ironic that people spend so much time trying to get hours and then think it’s safer to shave a tenth off the flight to not enter the 45 like the rest of the world. We are in a sorry state of entitlement in the traffic pattern.
Not really. The standard 45 entry and the 45 entry from the overhead are the same. Both start from safely clear of the pattern on the downwind side. Page 8-4 Airplane Flying Handbook overhead to the 45 – “When well clear of the pattern—approximately 2 miles—the pilot should scan carefully for traffic, descend to pattern altitude, then turn right to enter at 45° to the downwind leg at midfield.”.