What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2022-05-07 involved a aircraft, registration OY-RYI, at Roskilde (EKRK), DK.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The near collision resulted from a combination of diverging focus and mismatched expectations among the student pilot, flight instructor, and air traffic controllers, exacerbated by high workload and communication gaps.

Near Collision of Two Training Aircraft at Roskilde Airport

A near collision occurred between two training aircraft on short final for runway 03 at Roskilde Airport due to diverging focus and mismatched expectations.

What happened

On May 7, 2022, at 13:57 UTC, two aircraft, an Evektor-Aerotechnik a.s. SportStar RTC (registration OY-EVA) and a Cessna 182 P (registration OY-RYI), experienced a near collision on short final for runway 03 at Rosకిlde Airport (EKRK).

OY-EVA was conducting a solo VFR training flight from Aarhus. The student pilot was establishing a left downwind for runway 29. Simultaneously, OY-RYI was performing an IFR training flight and was executing a missed approach. As the instructor in OY-RYI initiated a left turn to heading 360 degrees during the climb, the aircraft came into extremely close proximity with OY-EVA. The separation between the two aircraft was reduced to approximately 100 feet vertically and 0.1 nautical miles horizontally. The flight instructor in OY-RYI managed to avoid the collision by maneuvering behind and above OY-EVA.

The investigation

The investigation examined the actions of the student pilot, the flight instructor, and the air traffic controllers at Roskilde Tower and Roskilde Approach. The investigation looked into the communication between the two different radio frequencies used by the aircraft, the visual obstructions caused by the use of an IFR hood in OY-RYI, and the timing of traffic information provided by the controllers. The investigators also assessed the situational awareness of all parties involved during the high-workload period of the missed approach.

Findings

The near collision was caused by diverging focus and individual expectations among the involved parties.
The student pilot in OY-EVA did not seek updated position information for OY-RYI, instead relying on the expectation that the other aircraft would report its position on short final. This expectation was hindered because OY-RYI was communicating on a different frequency.
The flight instructor in OY-RYI had a reduced capacity for external scanning due to the high workload of managing a missed approach and the use of an IFR hood, which partially obstructed the view.
While air traffic controllers provided relevant traffic information, the four-minute gap between the initial information and the event may have reduced its perceived relevance to the instructor.
The tower controller was engaged in other communications during the critical moments, which may have impacted visual monitoring.
The flight path of OY-RYI toward the control tower likely made it difficult for controllers to accurately judge the distance between the two aircraft.