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 made a bad judgment call and did not assess a situation as well as I could, which led to pattern traffic having to execute a go-around while we were taking off.
Our plan: We were conducting a complex/high performance training flight in the retractable gear aircraft. Our briefed plan was to takeoff out of Harvey for an eastbound departure and maneuver east of Lake Stevens for complex/high performance training before conducting full stop taxi backs for landing practice.
What happened: We were holding short of 15L and noticed traffic from our perspective abeam the numbers in the right hand downwind. This seemed like plenty of time to depart in front of traffic as this seemed like a routine pattern.
Me and the student made our takeoff call while pulling out onto 15L. As we were pulling out onto 15L, I noticed that the traffic started a short approach and this started to look more like a power-off 180. Traffic called base turn and shortly after final as we were lined up on 15L.
We applied takeoff power because at the time it seemed like the safer option to get things moving and clear the runway for the landing traffic rather than sit there being a hazard.
After takeoff a few things happened that added a lot of confusion to this scenario.
Traffic on final said something along the lines of “we’re sidestepping to the left of the runway.” We never heard the standard phraseology words “going around,” which led to us having to physically look outside trying to confirm if traffic was going around.
Our GPS screen with the ADS-B dimmed automatically to the lowest brightness value literally right after takeoff. We had limited visibility on the traffic because they were in our blind spot and we were in theirs…high wing vs low wing.
Jefferson County radio calls were going on at the same time, which made the cockpit noisy and hard to tell who was saying what.
The issue we caused: We caused a very hazardous situation. We were taking off while an airplane is going around. Same flight path. Not good.
What reactive actions did we take: I assumed the airplane did go around and was sidestepping to the left so I took flight controls and at a safe altitude changed our plans. Instead of turning left into the conflicting traffic we decided to depart right hand to the northwest away from traffic on the go-around.
Instructed the student to make a radio call communicating that we were doing so and that we have go-around traffic in sight.
Reflection: We had a long debrief after our lesson about communication. This would not have happened if we anticipated a short approach and communicated based off of that knowledge. We would not have lined up on the runway. Up until we were on the runway I perceived a routine pattern until I started getting the picture behind us that they are closer than I was picturing/anticipating.
The radio was very busy during this situation and people were stepping on each other. I heard that someone was sidestepping to the left and I concluded that must have been the traffic on final doing a go-around.
Like previously stated the ADS-B display dimmed to zero after takeoff. I wanted us to be as predictable as we can so we just kept climbing straight out and kept calm.
After I took flight controls, I saw the airplane off our left and we were on diverging flight paths.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2167830
When you click on the link it will take you to the ASRS Online Database. Click on Report Number and put the ACN in the search box, then click Search. On that page, click on “view only the 1 most recent report.”
I’m home based out of Harvey and we get people who are unskilled at uncontrolled operations coming in to enjoy the sport aviation field. What the report doesn’t say. . .and this is important. . . is that a left go-around puts your right into the parachute jump zone on 15. Dumb move on the CFI. Go around should always be on the right, so that pilot can look at the active runway through the side window and keep the traffic in sight. The downwind traffic is at least 500 feet above and a 1/4 mile to the west, so it’s not a conflict. People who think that go-arounds are hazardous should get more training on them and if you in the busy environment, just be alert and careful of others. No big deal. There are treelines and a hill that obsecure the final approach on the 15 waiting area too. Just be patient and wait and if’s it’s too busy, fly around outside the pattern for ten minutes and it will clear up. Could have easily sat on the end of 15 since the wires guard the approach area, or else taken the first turn off just a few feet away. CFI panic.
Make decision to go around early and make intentions known and direction of offset (usually opposite side to pattern).
To me another case of making calls without actually coordinating with the other pilot. Especially when things are going to be a bit tight, why are pilots assuming what the other pilot plans to do when you can ask on the radio?
ASRS Scenario: “The issue we caused: We caused a very hazardous situation. We were taking off while an airplane is going around. Same flight path. Not good.”
I’m a bit confused…it happens.
As stated, Harvey Field (S43, located in Snohomish WA), has right traffic for Rwy 15L. (Rwy 15R is grass; also with right traffic.)
According to the CFI: “What reactive actions did we take: I assumed the airplane did go around and was sidestepping to the left so I took flight controls and at a safe altitude changed our plans. Instead of turning left into the conflicting traffic we decided to depart right hand to the northwest away from traffic on the go-around.”
The airplane they “forced to go-around” did the correct thing, regardless of any non-standard radio calls: They offset their go-around/up wind flight path to the left side of the runway…the opposite side of the runway from the downwind leg.
So why would this CFI even consider “…:turning LEFT into the conflicting traffic…” in order to depart the established right-hand traffic pattern?
BTW: “Jefferson County International Airport (0S9),” is 30 NM from Harvey.
I think the mention of jefferson county was re the busy CTAF frequency.
123.00 is used by harvey field, jefferson county, & Norman Greer field (fka Crest Airpark),
and I can attest that this frequency can get very busy & somewhat confusing at times.
Except that left is right through our parachute jump zone.
And going “right”, over to the west side of the runways, can put you beak-to-beak with helicopters flying at 500’ and below.
Harvey has always been an interesting place to fly.
I’m assuming in this scenario, no jumpers were in the air? If Skydive Snohomish is conducting ops, I’m going no where near it.