What happened
On November 7, 2019, a student pilot was conducting training flights as part of a scheduled program for the operator Navcom Systems Fly. The flight was being conducted in a Cessna 152 using the grass runway 24 at Świdnik Airport (EPSW). During a left-hand circuit, air traffic control (ATC) at Lublin Airport (EPLB) issued an instruction to the pilot to hold position between turns 2 and 3. This instruction was intended to provide separation from a Cessna 1 and72 that was approaching to land on runway 25 at EPLB.
However, the student pilot misread the instruction and continued along the circuit pattern. This error caused the aircraft to approach the centerline of runway 25 at EPLB, creating a situation that required the second aircraft to transition to a second circuit to maintain safety. After the error was identified, the pilot received instructions to fly over point Sierra and subsequently completed the landing at the planned airfield.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation focused on the sequence of events during the training circuit and the communication between the pilot and ATC. The investigation established that the flight was being conducted under Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) and that weather conditions did not contribute to the incident. The investigation examined the specific ATC instruction issued and the pilot's subsequent flight path relative to the approaching Cessna 172.
Findings
- The primary cause of the serious incident was the misinterpretation of an ATC instruction by the student pilot.
- The aircraft was operating as part of a standard training flight program.
- The incident resulted in a loss of separation between the training aircraft and an arriving aircraft on runway 25 at EPLB.