Incident Details
A pilot conducted the final approach segment in clear conditions with the sun low in the sky, positioned 10° to the left of the runway heading. The pilot experienced direct sun glare during the approach. To reduce the effect of the glare, they used the aircraft's visor and raised their right hand to block the sun. However, some glare remained, and the raised hand likely impacted their view of the runway and associated lighting.
Sequence of Events
As a result of the glare, the pilot misidentified a taxiway as the runway and aligned the aircraft with the taxiway centerline. During the subsequent approach segment, the aircraft's navigation instruments likely indicated that the aircraft was to the left of the intended flight path. The pilot was looking outside during this time and did not detect the deviation. Additionally, they did not observe a C152 aircraft positioned on the taxiway, likely due to the continued reduced visibility throughout the approach.
An instructor on board the C152 broadcast over the radio after identifying that the approaching aircraft was aligned with the taxiway. Shortly after this broadcast, the aircraft commenced a turn toward the runway. While continuation to landing on the taxiway would likely have resulted in the aircraft passing over the C152, it would probably have resulted in a collision with obstacles associated with the airport's construction works. The broadcast likely contributed to the pilot's recognition of the situation. However, the pilot advised that they remained unaware that there was an aircraft on the taxiway.
During the turn, the aircraft passed behind and in close proximity to the C152. Conducting such a manoeuvre carried a risk of collision with both the C152 and other objects on the ground. The manoeuvre was not in accordance with the operator's stabilised approach criteria, which permitted only small heading changes below 500 ft above ground level (AGL). Upon recognising that the aircraft was not on the intended flight path, an immediate missed approach was required. The broadcast from the C152 instructor also alerted air traffic control (ATC) to the situation, prompting them to instruct the pilot to discontinue the landing.
Consideration was given to whether the designation of the landing runway at Launceston Airport as the left runway may have led the pilot to misidentify the taxiway as the left of two parallel runways. However, this was not reported by the pilot. Furthermore, the pilot had prior experience operating at the airport and was therefore familiar with the runway layout.