What happened
On July 25, 2020, at 18:40 local time, a serious incident occurred within the TRA 45 airspace near Chrcynno, Poland. A Cessna 150G, registration D-ECNI, was conducting a training flight from Warsaw-Babice (EPBC) to Olsztyn-Mazury (EPSY). The pilot had planned a route at 2,500 ft AMSL, which would take the aircraft directly through the active TRA 45 zone, which was reserved for parachute jumping operations and active up to 2,000 ft AMSL.
Simultaneously, a Cessna 208B, registration SP-WAW, operated by Aeroklub Warszawski, was performing a parachute jump mission. While climbing to FL 140, the crew of the Cessna 208B was alerted by Warsaw Approach (APP Warszawa) to potential traffic to their southeast. The crew successfully identified the approaching aircraft and maintained separation. At the point of closest approach, the vertical separation between the two aircraft was estimated at only 50 meters.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation focused on the flight planning and communication between the aircraft and air traffic services. The investigation established that the pilot of D-ECNI had failed to establish contact with the Chrcynno Radio frequency. Although the FIS Olstyń controller provided the correct frequency (122.205 MHz), the pilot of D-EICN incorrectly repeated a different frequency, and the controller did not correct the error.
Furthermore, the investigation examined the pilot's flight planning, noting that the intended altitude of 2,500 ft AMSL required a thorough analysis of airspace activity, including the active TRA 45 and the Chrcynno AREA zones.