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.
My student cleared the airspace prior to taking the runway, and then departed Runway 22 at Springfield Robertson County Airport (M91) in Tennessee, left traffic, turning from upwind to left crosswind at 1,400 MSL. I was making all radio calls over CTAF.
As we started our left turn at 1,400 feet from 220 to 130°, I noted a low-wing airplane 100 feet to my left and 100 feet below me. I grabbed the controls from my student and started to level out and climb and then noted a second similar aircraft flying in formation, which flew directly 100 feet below me. This would put the two aircraft at about 1,300 feet MSL.
These two aircraft did not make any radio calls. I tried reaching them on CTAF but could not reach them.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2121302
We have similar problems here with formation aircraft cutting off everyone. They are focused on themselves and not looking or caring who is in the pattern. Half of thier flights cut in front of or one of them taking off when someone else is on short final. This is a major training airport. What they don’t caree about are the students that have never seen or been trained for.
Unfortunately someone is going to end up dead. Please be aware of formation flights.
Radios in GA aircraft should be mandatory. Just like brake lights in a car. That pilot and the others are lucky they averted a mid-air crash.
Regards/J
Even if they were mandatory, they can still fail, inadvertently be on the wrong frequency, or a flight may have an emergency and not be able to transmit or receive.
Good thing for situational awareness especially in the pattern. Unfortunately a radio is not required and extra caution is warranted. Since all the aircraft are in the pattern, the lower aircraft has right of way. Once I was in the pattern getting ready to turn base and a fast aircraft announce that they were on final with a straight in approach. Even though I had the right of way, I extended my downwind and let him land ahead of me.
I have done the same thing. Not so much out of concern but courtesy to the faster aircraft, plus I got a few more minutes of flight time. 😉. It also gave me a different approach rather than the usual pattern, win, win.