Ok, excessive, comma, guy,
After the controller strike, near misses were fairly common, and pilots literally had to second guess their clearances, while keeping a sharp lookout for conflicting traffic at controlled airports. This tragedy should teach pilots to keep pace with the traffic flow, and grant priority to aircraft on final–at least within 3 miles. I personally would have told the 340 pilot that I’m extending downwind, and give him the nod to land ahead of my aircraft. I scratched my head when I heard the 152 pilot’s base turn call.
I agree with everything that Paul says about SA. But there’s a good chance there’s more to the story: the good old “deer in headlights” syndrome.
I’m being very presumptuous here because I didn’t look into the details Watsonville accident (I admit I was too lazy to). But a C152, more often than not, indicates some sort of student pilot situation. It’s entirely possible that the pilot had the SA, but was taking just a few seconds too long to work out what to do. You’re on the last stretch of base, about to turn final, and you see traffic approaching from outside the pattern. Where do you go? Away from the traffic means turning final. Just how steep of a bank angle can you safely fly in trying to stay inside of the extended center line? Or do you turn away from base? That’s turning into the traffic. Can a 152 climb fast enough to get above the other plane’s approach path? Where is that path, actually? How fast is that plane (remember: possible low-time pilot)?
I know I’ve been in situations where I should have made a decision faster - in deteriorating weather conditions, for instance. And I remember the feeling of “I know I need to do something, but what’s the best course of action here?” - and this feeling lasting way too long.
I don’t think we spend nearly enough time (if at all) in flight training practicing such situations. I didn’t have an instructor yell at me without prior warning “traffic, two o’clock, quarter of a mile, inbound, fast” while I was doing pattern work. I know it’s annoying. We all just want to go places fast and enjoy the view. But the neurological connection from SA to the right action (or at least a good one) is a crucial link in the chain. And I feel we’re not doing enough to build up the muscle memory that can shorten that link dramatically. We do for go-arounds, stalls, and engine failures, but that’s about it.
As I’ve taught my engineering students and employees when dealing with equipment that can kill them - expect the unexpected. Don’t live in fear but be prepared for others who do dumb things. When I approach an airfield with chatter boxes in the pattern, I stay further away until they’ve landed. Glider pilots are probably the best at avoiding collisions as their heads are by nature outside of the cockpit.
Without first hand knowledge of the experience level of the 152 pilot, if he was indeed a student (or very low time) pilot, there’s a chance he may have not been familiar with exactly what a 340 is, and how fast it could be going.
Along those lines, did the 340 pilot call out that he was a 340, or simply a ‘twin Cessna’, leaving the door open for it being a 310 right up to a Conquest?
My point in this - while yes the 340 pilot should have been slower and probably not taken the straight in approach with traffic in the pattern, and conversely the 152 pilot shouldn’t have turned base in front of oncoming traffic on a 3 mile final, there’s a chance that the 152 pilot doesn’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of all aircraft types and their performance levels.
Even if the 340 had been at a more reasonable approach speed, it could have been going faster than the cruise speed of the 152, and if the performance of the 152 was that pilot’s only frame of reference, another aircraft on a 3 mile final meant, to him at least, far more working time to land ahead of the other aircraft than was the reality in this case.
For my money, I’ll take a go around at any sign of a problem or possible conflict unless I’m out of gas or on fire. I spend a good deal of my non flying time thinking about flying, so once I’m actually flying it’s not hard to convince me to stay aloft for a few more minutes and take another lap in the pattern.
Both accidents involved seasoned pilot and students. From the preliminary info, the pilot of the Malibu was the faulty party, and in Watsonville the 340 appeared was going to fast and overtook the 152. My question is whats the age of the Pilots?
I had a personal experience in 1984 or 85. I was flying a 767 from LAX to PHL with a 9:00 AM departure. (wx CAVU above the stratus.) It was the F/O’s leg. (very sharp man). Leaving 10,000 he decreased attitude to accelerate from 250 to 290 KIAS. Leaving 14,500 center issued a conflict alert (no previous traffic issued) “TWA 38 conflict alert, 12 o’clock, opposite direction!” The F/O wisely rolled into a left turn. We missed a turboprop commuter airplane by 300 feet laterally and 0 feet vertically. The commuter flight was IFR, VFR on-top at 14,500.
This was in the pre-TCAS days. No doubt TCAS has been making the saves after it became a requirement a few years later. However, TCAS is not infallible.
This was pre-TCAS.
Background communications on ground, tower, tracon, artcc are useful. I listen to them too. From another ham perspective: QRU (Have anything for me?). It has saved me from grief a couple of times. TWR: …position and hold (to me), . . .cleared to land, #2 traffic landing downfield (to inbound) … Inbound: Ahh twr, there’s an airplane on the RW, we’re going around. TWR: There is? Me: Um yep! That one wasn’t anything I could do about. The tapes confirmed we were cleared onto the runway, but the tower was busy and forgot about us.
En route listening on freq gives me an opportunity to visualize the traffic in my mind with respect to my position whether I’m talking to ATC or not. The ADS-B confirms what I’m hearing now that it’s available. And sometimes it confirms what I cannot see visually. My last trip center called traffic twice in haze with fight vis > 30. Both me and my copilot who has eagle eyes did not see the traffic on both occasions, and the traffic did not see me. I turned based on ADS-B information and ATC confirmed my turn as appropriate.
Never close to a near miss but it shows we must know and watch. Continuation bias has an aviation term that means approximately the same thing: cockpit complacency. Fix that and you can fix a lot of things and we are all complacent at one time or other, so I try not to be complacent about complacency.
Early in my flying lessons, we were at Palo Alto ( PAO ). PAO has ONE runway, and TWO patterns ( for the same runway ). On pattern is over the Bay, the other one over the houses.
We turned base on the “houses” pattern and met another airplane on base for the “bay” pattern. I never saw my CFI move so fast.
Watsonville is a busy uncontrolled field. And complicated. There are two intersecting runways. If you’re not a native, it’s easy to get confused.
Can’t trust any of them. Biggest guess is when TWR, ADS-B, Pilot disagree, which one is right?
Same with patterns: right tfc? left tfc? or whatever I want tfc?
Eyes, Ears and Electronics…all are vital. Especially with NORDO Champs mixing in at the old aerodrome.
Regarding radio calls, I sometimes hear pilots transmit “Traffic in the area, please advise.” This is NOT an FAA approved transmission. 4-1-9(g)(1). No answer doesn’t mean “none” and five answers is just confusing. Come on, instructors, teach proper position reporting.
Mike M
I think the comment up above about the wifey having to pee is the probable cause, but of course it won’t show up that way.
I would admonish other pilots to “Keep up the chatter” at busy, uncontrolled airports. If you don’t see them, at least they’ll let you know where they are.
Apostrophe…
Are you talking about a mid-field crosswind to downwind or a crosswind off the departure end of the runway? Are you sure you can see a plane that is departing straight-out? If you’re flying a bigger pattern he might be reaching your altitude as you’re crossing the extended centerline on crosswind.
Paul, to your knowledge have there been any mid-airs during the weekend arrivals to AirVenture over the years?
Yes, one or two, I think. Can’t remember if there were any fatals.
Rule#1 Whether riding my motorcycle or flying my plane I ride/fly assuming others are out to kill me and my task is to not give them the chance.
Rule#2 All we know about pilots flying high performance aircraft is they have lots of money or fly for someone who does. We cannot assume they have good judgement or even good piloting skills so give them them lots of leeway ( see rule #1).
I fly from a large GA airport with constant high performance traffic. My instructor friend is constantly reminding me to check final so as “ to not back into “ one of these hotshots flying long straight in approaches. When ever I hear them announce I either fly a short approach often flying my base leg straight to the numbers to clear the pattern ASAP ( I have a 5000’ runway to use so I don’t need a long final) or I will loiter and let the high speed traffic land first. I often do this as a courtesy as I am just flying for fun whereas they are often flying for business. Time is money. I get that. But mostly I think of rule number 1 and not give them a chance to kill me.
One last thought. Know your local pilots. We have a guy that hops rides in a warbird pulling chandelles right off the runway into the pattern. When he flies, I don’t . See rule #1.
What is “on final”? I’ve been “on final” and cleared to land ten miles out. Other planes landed in front of me. If I had been under a mile out, it would have required action on my part.