What happened
During a gliding competition, the pilot of ZOK attempted to land on runway 17. Prior to the flight, the pilot had reviewed a NOTAM regarding the competition and contacted the competition director to arrange the arrival. The pilot believed that because the arrival was scheduled outside the specified critical hours of 1200 to 1400, use of the runway was permitted. However, the pilot was unaware that two individuals were positioned within the white gable markers of the runway strip and that glider launch ropes were laid out beside the runway.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the communication breakdown between the pilot and the competition organizers. It was found that the pilot interpreted their conversation with the director as a valid arrangement to use the runway. Conversely, the competition director believed that any aircraft intending to use runway 17/35 was required to contact them on the actual day of the flight. Furthermore, the investigation examined the clarity of the NOTAM, which was found to be open to misinterpretation regarding when specific permission was required.
Findings
Several contributing factors were identified during the investigation:
- The NOTAM was ambiguous, leading the gliding club to believe the runway was closed to all aircraft except competition gliders and tow planes during daylight hours.
- Because of this interpretation, ground handlers did not perform radio calls before entering the runway strip.
- Ground personnel did not have a radio in their possession to communicate on the CTAF, as the radio remained in their vehicle.
- A rotating beacon on a ground vehicle was not utilized because the equipment was positioned too close to the launch site.
- A lack of clear communication regarding runway usage permissions and the absence of active radio monitoring prevented the pilot from being alerted to the ground activity.