What happened
On July 24, 2020, during a period of high traffic density at Warsaw-Babice Airport (EPBC), two aircraft experienced a near mid-air collision. A Cessna 172, registration SP-OTB, departed from runway 28L. Simultaneously, a Tecnam P2008-JC, registration SP-LFA, was arriving from EPPT and had joined the traffic pattern, entering a right-hand turn between the first and second turns.
As the Cessna 172 progressed through its circuit, the pilot executed the first turn earlier than prescribed by the standard operating procedures. This maneuver shortened the first leg of the traffic pattern, significantly reducing the distance between the two aircraft. At approximately 17:43 LMT, the Cessna 172 overtook the Tecnam P2008-JC. To avoid a collision, the crew of the Tecnam P2008-JC performed an emergency left-hand break, altering their heading by approximately 40 degrees. The crew of the Tecnam P2008-JC did not immediately notify the air traffic controller to avoid adding to the radio congestion during the busy period, but instead filed a mandatory report after landing.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation examined the flight paths, the airport's traffic pattern procedures, and the prevailing meteorological conditions. The investigation confirmed that weather conditions were within Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). The commission also reviewed the airport's traffic management, noting that the high volume of radio communications and heavy traffic density made maintaining separation difficult. The investigation concluded that the separation between the aircraft was compromised due to the deviation from the established flight path.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the earlier execution of the first turn in the traffic pattern by the departing aircraft.
- High traffic density in the airport vicinity contributed to the difficulty in maintaining separation.
- The aircraft were operating under VMC at the time of the event.