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 was in Aircraft X performing a flight for the purposes of training a student pilot.
We were coming in to practice a landing at Fayette County Airport (I23) in Washington Court House, Ohio.
We were inbound from the east, listened to the AWOS and CTAF frequencies to determine the active runway. Winds seemed to favor Runway 5 and no one was on frequency, so we chose to overfly the field and do a teardrop entry to the downwind for 5.
We made several radio calls while overflying and entering the downwind and heard no calls for I23 on the CTAF, but could hear other nearby airports that share the frequency.
On downwind we saw another aircraft, Aircraft Y, flying over the downwind in the opposite direction at least 500 feet higher than our altitude. Since they were not making calls, we assumed they were just overflying the field and continued our pattern to land.
When crossing the threshold to touchdown our GPS gives a traffic advisory and looking at the opposite end of the runway as we are touching down, we see Aircraft Y on short final for the opposite runway.
Since we are already on the ground, I begin to slam on the brakes to try to reduce the speed for a potential collision when the Aircraft Y pilot makes a radio call that they are going around. They sidestep the runway and fly over the taxiway next to us at no more than 300 feet AGL.
We make several radio calls to try to establish communication to the other pilot, all of which go unanswered. However, an additional aircraft soon makes calls on the CTAF and is able to hear us just fine.
This could likely be an issue with the radio in Aircraft Y either not receiving or having the volume too low.
A collision was avoided but could have been lower risk if communication had been a factor.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2184147
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.”
Sigh. Too much talk on the Radio rendering its purpose useless. One of my pet peeves, but apparently contrary to the Rules, is full call signs. IM<HO, full call signs add to congestion on CTAF.
So, let’s say I hear, on a busy CTAF,
“Lovely County, Cessna November Seven Zero Nine Uniform November, Downwind 24, Lovely County”
Cessna? What sorta Cessna, slow, fast, or jet?
What purpose does the first November add other than to eat three syllables and confuse me with the second November? I really isn’t necessarily unless you are landing outside of the good ole’ USofA.
And what does the remainder of a full callsign add?
Brevity and clarity have value.
I would much rather hear something like
“Lovely, Cessna Twin Uniform November Downwind 24, Lovely”
Much less use of the frequency, leaving time for others, AND, I have an idea of his speed and needs now knowing it is a twin.
Think of how less congested a frequency would be with four busy airports on the same CTAF.
A full callsign has value in the Radar environment because the Controller has to find you on his cluttered scope, but less so on CTAF.
Do you wank into a crowded room and use your Honorific Prefix First Middle Last and Suffix? I thought not.
Just my iconoclastic two cents. Let’s hear your better idea.
If you are flying a U.S. registered aircraft (i.e. “N” prefix)…prefacing your “call sign” with “November” has never been a ‘rule’, as long as you state the aircraft make or model.
Straight from the AIM: Chapter 4, Air Traffic Control; Section 2, Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques; Paragraph 4-2-4, Aircraft Call Signs:
“Civil aircraft pilots should state the aircraft type, model or manufacturer’s name, followed by the digits/letters of the registration number. When the aircraft manufacturer’s name or model is stated, the prefix “N” is dropped; e.g., Aztec Two Four Six Four Alpha.”
So if you are doing BOTH…stop it.
I think you meant “WALK into a crowded room” LOL…..
This comment section really needs an EDIT feature! Once you hit Post Comment, you can’t make any changes!
Recently I was flying in to a non towered airport which was busy at the time with ga aircraft and. Commercial jets. I tried on CTAf to announce my positive landing behind a large military plane do a dime arch and missed approach.CTAF was clogged by people arranging baggage pickup and car rental etc. which multiple planes were in the pattern. listen be brief considerate Safety comes first
This is for our “guilty, as usual” comrade:
One thing that’s missing from all these ASRS scenarios …is the other side of the story. We never know what was going on in the other cockpit.
So, let’s PRETEND that I was the “inconsiderate idiot pilot” of Aircraft Y…and I filed this ASRS report with my version of events:
I was returning to my home airport, Fayette County Airport (I23) in Washington Court House, Ohio. I was inbound from the west, listening to the AWOS and CTAF frequencies to determine the active runway. Winds were light and variable: I23 has no ‘recommended’ calm wind runway, so I planned to land on Runway 23.
I attempted to make all five of the FAA-recommended radio calls, as described in the AIM, when approaching to land at a non-towered airport …but the 122.8 CTAF was absolutely ‘comm-jammed’ by other pilots making superfluous calls at several other local airports. In fact, every time I keyed the mic to announce my position and/or intentions, someone would ‘step’ on me.
I could tell a lot of flight training activity was going on, due to the number of different voices coming from the same “call signs” …probably CFIs correcting their “learner’s” early comm attempts …
Unfortunately, about 2 hours into my 3-hour flight home, my iPad overheated, and I lost ForeFlight, along with its ADS-B display capability…a useful tool in this extremely congested environment…but still not a replacement for the “Mark 1 Eyeball”.
As I approached the airport, I saw Aircraft X, about 500’ below me (my best guess). At first, I thought he might be on a downwind leg for Runway 5, but his pattern spacing was so wide, I figured maybe they were just flying by.
Regardless, I continued to monitor the busy CTAF while I flew over the airport at 500 feet above pattern altitude. Based on the windsock’s movement, I stuck with my plan for a teardrop entry to the downwind for 23. I attempted to keep sight of Aircraft X, but eventually lost them during my teardrop maneuvering.
About this time, there was also an increase in the number of radio calls…again with different voices chiming in…all very “rushed” and in some cases, incoherent.
I attempted a couple radio calls while overflying and entering the downwind, but I was cut off each time I tried. They sounded like they were from the same plane, but the transmissions were garbled and unreadable, partially due to the other nearby airports that share the frequency. I decided to just focus on ‘listening” as hard as I could and not add to the confusion.
I continued with my normal rectangular pattern: I like to fly a tight downwind leg…right at the FAA-recommended, minimum one-half mile spacing, followed by a close-in base leg and a relatively high final approach…so I can still make the runway if my engine quits.
I was just approaching the overrun on short final, when I saw an airplane (Airplane X?) just touching down at the far end of the runway in the opposite direction. Even though they were on the ground, and I was still on final…no way was I going to “force them off the runway surface”, as discussed in 14 CFR Part 91.113 Right-of-Way Rules!
I obviously needed to execute a go-around: I followed my-well practiced procedure, and although the “old girl’ doesn’t leap up as quickly as she used to, I was able to generate a reasonable rate-of-climb at my published Vx. Clearing the airplane on the runway was not a problem: I was probably about 300’ above them, plus I side-stepped, as directed by the FAA, to ensure I could keep them in sight throughout the maneuver.
Following the time-tested protocol of Aviate-Navigate-Communicate, I waited until I had everything under control and then announced I was “going around” on the now strangely quiet CTAF.
I guess they didn’t trust that I could avoid a collision; based on the tire smoke, it looks like they locked up their brakes …luckily, they didn’t blow a tire(s)…and shut down the runway.
As I flew by them, I recognized the airplane…it was definitely one from a local flight school. That confirmed my suspicion that training was going on.
I admit, I was embarrassed that I hadn’t seen them while they were on final approach, coming from the opposite direction …but that’s a long way away, and they’re not too easy to spot when they’re pointed head-on, right at you, especially with the late afternoon sun in your eyes. Still, having their landing light on might’ve helped.
I do wonder when they finally saw me. I always fly with ALL my lights on, day or night. Of course, you still won’t see me unless you’re looking outside, not inside at your “GPS” traffic display.
My plan was to come back and land on Runway 23; the winds still favored it. Apparently, Airplane X was able to ‘continue’, and they departed Runway 5, straight out…
I did note that the radio was still quiet while I was on the downwind. After a bit of investigating, I saw that my earphone jack had ‘unplugged’ itself. Since it’s a bit of a stretch to reach it, I decided I could probably land safely without needing to hear any more chatter on the garbaged-up CTAF.
No collision occurred; however, the risk of a collision could have been lower if clear, concise communication had been exercised. Also, possible focus on flight instruction duties may have been a distraction in Aircraft X, along with over-reliance on in-cockpit technology, instead of ‘see and avoid”.
Primary Problem: Feel free to compare the two versions; then you tell me.
Good one!
I teach trainees to look at the departure end of the runway for traffic, both controlled and uncontrolled airports, before taxing onto the runway. Always be vigilant especially at uncontrolled airports.
If the winds were calm, and I noted no ‘clam wind runway’ statement…either end is ok.
It’s a 5,100 ft runway, so there’s no problem landing in both directions. Most GA aircraft can land and stop within1,500 ft from the threshold, so both could land , stop and have about 1/2 mile of space between them….lots of room.!!
So, no harm, no foul…!
Radios will never have the final word over mental pictures of the whole situation, the windsock and the eyeball. A non-radio plane wouldn’t have cause this situation with that in mind. The final sentence of his report betrays the pilot’s lack of understanding of that fact.
“we assumed”. This seems to be the mind-set in most of these types of pilot reports and then the proper situational awareness of the other airplane is not maintained.
Have the cops meet the incommunicative pilot. Read him his rights, charge him with endangering the lives and safety of the other aircraft, cuff him and lead him to a cell. Conviction should lead to suspension or cancellation of his pilot’s license. It’s long-past time to get tough with inconsiderate idiot pilots.
Regards/J
Dumbest comment ever!
No laws were broken. What if the other plane was a noradio J3 Cub. They would have been in the pattern before the poster’s faster airplane. Thus the guy who wrote this up was in the wrong for continuing his approach.
2nd Wills reply. Nuff said.
The whole process of runway choice and radio reporting is based on “recommendations”, not fixed rules, so as stated, ‘what law was broken?’ Last thing needed is local law enforcement authority trying to regulate flight rules.
Jeff O
Yeah! Put that idiot in jail!! BTW, what’s a ‘Teardrop’ entry into the pattern?