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.
While operating out of ZZZ airport, we announced our intentions to take off via Runway XX (a downhill runway) as is standard operating procedure for our crew due to the size of DC-3 and downhill slope away from the airport. Normal traffic pattern arrivals call for the use of Runway XY.
While ZZZ is a non-towered airport, there is a facility and airport manager who will sometimes provide additional services for arriving and departing aircraft, such as advisory calls, weather updates, and parking information.
As we took the runway after our CTAF call, the manager notified us that there was an aircraft on final who failed to make a CTAF call.
Our aircraft had just lined up on Runway XX and the offending aircraft was at approximately 500 feet on final approach. Due to the opposite direction taxi, and checklist duties, our crew could not see the other aircraft until we were aligned on the runway.
We made three attempts to contact the aircraft on final and tell them to go around. UNICOM did the same.
The aircraft continued its approach and at approximately 300 feet when it became apparent that the aircraft was not initiating a go-around, the captain executed an evasive taxi into the gravel and cleared onto the taxiway to avoid the landing traffic. The 172 continued its approach, landed, and taxied clear.
UNICOM then let us know that the runway was clear and we again announced our intention to depart Runway XX. With no other traffic, we departed without incident.
Upon recovery, the airport manager notified us that the offending 172 was a student pilot with an instructor and they were on the incorrect frequency.
Apparently, they never noticed the DC-3 on the opposite end of the runway and because of the lack of radio communications continued their approach.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2183800
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.”
You all are missing the big take away here, just how exciting general aviation can be! Of course the major airlines aren’t too far behind.
Sounds like maybe they need to base that DC-3 at a towered airport with a flat runway…
Wow, sounds like the whiners on social media. I have a habit of looking at the whole runway while landing and adjusting accordingly to existing conditions and reality. Cows and deer are usually NORDO also.
Just because you are bigger does not give you the right-of-way. And the heck with human factors, you acknowledge that you were going against the norm. Look in the mirror to see where the real problem attitude is.
Need to clear final before taking the runway regardless of size of aircraft! Especially if you KNOW you’re against the prevailing winds that any other pilot might logically and legally execute. NORDO or not, can’t assume incoming aircraft have a radio!
Allowing simultaneous head-on traffic on one runway strikes me as idiocy, but who am I to say? Somebody with common sense.
Regards/J
So, you do understand they 172 was landing on the correct runway and landing traffic has the right of way. Just because you’re bigger and it is inconvenient to clear the runway, doesn’t mean you own the runway. Yes, the 172 was on the wrong freq, but they could just as well have been a NORDO Cub and the responsibility would still fall upon the DC-3 pilot to yield the runway to the landing traffic.