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.
On a dual cross-country flight departing Marana Regional Airport (KAVQ) in Arizona, we had a near miss while departing the area over the cement plant northbound.
Local operations request all VFR traffic arrive and depart over the cement plant southeast of the field.
Aircraft Y, making no radio calls and not on our ADS-B, had overflown midfield for a teardrop entry for Runway 12. They were at 4,000 feet and we were at 3,900 feet climbing to 6,500 feet east of the field departing north.
When I saw them in the left window, they were the same altitude less than a quarter mile turning towards us fast. They were in our blind spot as we were climbing (they were slightly higher).
I cut power and did an emergency descent to the right to avoid getting hit.
That traffic also decided to turn and descend towards us at the same time while completing their teardrop. I estimated we were at the same altitude less than 100 feet away.
Traffic never made any calls on the radio until after they had made their teardrop. They only popped up on ADS-B as we were avoiding them and never got a traffic warning.
That traffic started making calls after that and continued on another collision course with traffic already in the pattern.
Standard practice from KAVQ is to enter and exit the pattern over the cement plant to remain clear of housing. This practice, however, adds another layer of safety conflicts as more traffic is being funneled into one location. Increased operations with landings in-between taxiways midfield prevent safe flights over the field.
The other pilot’s incorrect teardrop entry, 1,000 feet above TPA (Traffic Pattern Altitude), over midfield, flying almost 3 nm from the pattern, without making any radio calls, was a major contributing factor.
More awareness needs to be brought to KAVQ for the heavy training and additional traffic that frequents the airport daily, and the non-standard practices for the airport.
Primary Problem: Ambiguous
ACN: 2173311
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.”
When crossing over midfield at a non-towered airport, it’s recommended to fly at least 500 feet above the established pattern altitude. This altitude provides a safety buffer, allowing pilots to see other traffic and make sure they are clear of the established pattern.One method of entry from the opposite side of the pattern is to announce intentions and cross over midfield at least 500 feet above pattern altitude (normally 1,500 feet AGL)……Doing a teardrop entry 3 miles away sounds OK to me entering on a 45……Not making any radio calls is not illegal and they may have been on the wrong freq……That’s why you need to keep your head on a swivel …..see and be seen when landing at a non-towered airport.
“Local operations request all VFR traffic arrive and depart over the cement plant southeast of the field.” I looked for that, couldn’t find it. Seems like the pilot flew right through the area used to maneuver for a “teardrop entry” to Runway 12, is what it seems like to me, just about hit a guy maneuvering, then complained that they what–didn’t make a radio call and were 500 feet “too high” and flying “almost 3 miles from the field?” No, sorry, that one’s on you.