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 and I were doing maneuvers (S-turns) in a Cessna 172 in the south practice area using a road as a ground reference. Prior to doing maneuvers, several radio calls were made on ZZZ Tower/CTAF notifying any traffic of our location and altitude.
We attempted to do one S-turn and at the time it appeared that we were the only aircraft in the area. Halfway through the S-turn my student wanted to set up again and try it all over from the beginning. We proceeded to fly east of the road and turned around heading west. Another position report was given on CTAF with no response.
As we proceeded west and approached the road, my student began his first S-turn to the right. At this time, I looked on our flight radar and observed an aircraft to the right of us.
I looked out and immediately saw a helicopter that appeared to be hovering in place at the same altitude approximately 300-500 yards away.
I immediately took over flight controls from my student and steepened our bank to avoid the area. As I steepened our bank the helicopter quickly began to move forward toward our location and within approximately 50 feet from our location the helicopter quickly turned right, narrowly missing us.
I again went on CTAF to give our location hoping the operator of the helicopter would transmit something, but we did not hear any radio transmissions.
The helicopter then appeared to quickly travel north, leaving the south practice area.
After the near miss, I instructed my student to immediately head back to ZZZ1 for a full stop. The other aircraft was possibly a military helicopter.
Contributing factors: No position reports given by the helicopter and was not scanning the area for traffic. Also when going forward and toward our location the pilot’s attention must have been directed elsewhere.
I believe this situation would have been completely avoidable if radio calls were made or listened to.
Also if the pilot had entered the area to have been scanning for other traffic since we were already there prior to their arrival.
I’m very thankful nothing happened and we were able to avoid a very serious/fatal situation. In the future I hope the other pilot would be more aware of the area he/she is flying in and would make the necessary radio calls.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2185528
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.”
Expecting any pilot to be listening to CTAF outside of a reasonable distance from the airport is at best naive. Sure, many pilots do listen to the towers and CTAFs of airports that are near their routes, but it’s not something to expect. Nor is it required.
Not that it can’t happen, but I’ve never seen a practice area designated on any charts. At best, there may be a statement on a chart, saying “caution—extensive student traffic vicinity of (airport)” or similar. But that’s not the same as charting a specific practice area, which is often known only to the local flight school. Again, it’s naive to think that transient pilots will have any knowledge of it.
So maybe see and avoid could have been better, but failing to hear CTAF transmissions or encroaching into a practice area are not the issues.
I have heard random calls on the radio from time to time, and always wondered why people make such calls.
There is not such thing as a “practice area”, at least that I am aware of.
Each airport may designate an area for their students to go practice, but the instructor and student are the only people who are aware a given area is used for training.
As for calling on the airport’s CTAF frequency, the CFI is assuming that a transit aircraft, who isn’t going to over fly the airport or get close to its traffic pattern is going to tune in.
You must keep your eyes open for all traffic!
The whole tone is saying it was the helicopter’s responsibility and fault. Lord help us when least experienced teach those with no experience.
Flight radar?
Should have been communicating with Center or Approach (depending on who was controlling the area), not CTAF or Tower
You were in a designated practice area which would be a reasonable distance from the airport, outside their Delta. You seem to not understand the purpose and use of a CTAF. Per the FAA: A CTAF is a frequency designated for the purpose of carrying out airport advisory practices while operating to or from an airport without an operating control tower. There is no reason to expect anyone to be on that frequency unless they are operating at the airport. Although it is always a good practice to use it when operating at an airport, it is not mandatory. Don’t depend solely on it for anything.
Clearing turns?
Why not use unicom frequency