What happened
During a final approach at Launcelseon Airport, the pilot encountered significant sun glare caused by the sun being positioned low in the sky and 10° to the left of the runway heading. In an attempt to mitigate the glare, the pilot used both the aircraft's visor and their right hand, which likely obstructed their view of the runway and lighting. This led the pilot to misidentify a taxiway as the active runway, causing the aircraft to align with the taxiway centerline.
While the pilot was focused on external visual cues, the aircraft's navigation instruments likely indicated a deviation from the intended flight path, which went undetected. During this period, the pilot also failed to notice a C152 positioned on the taxiway. An instructor on board the C152 noticed the misalignment and broadcast a warning over the radio. Following this broadcast, the pilot initiated a turn toward the actual runway. This maneuver brought the aircraft into close proximity to the C152 and posed a risk of hitting airport construction obstacles. The maneuver also violated the operator's stabilized approach criteria, which restricts heading changes below 500 ft AGL.
The investigation
The investigation examined the impact of environmental conditions and pilot actions. While investigators considered whether the airport's dual runway designation (the left runway) contributed to the confusion, the pilot was familiar with the layout and did not report such confusion. The investigation also focused on the timing of the pilot's response, noting that an immediate missed approach should have been executed upon realizing the flight path error.
Findings
- The approach was conducted in clear conditions but was heavily impacted by direct sun glare.
- The pilot's use of a hand to block the sun likely obscured the view of runway markings and lights.
- The pilot failed to monitor navigation instruments that indicated a lateral deviation.
- The pilot corrected the flight path at a low altitude rather than performing a standard missed approach.
- The radio broadcast from the C152 instructor likely alerted both the pilot and air traffic control to the error.