Near Miss Between Cessna 172R and Cessna 152 at Worms Airfield

Incident Overview and Location On 30 June 2022, a serious incident occurred at Verkehrslandeplatz Worms (EDFV), a traffic airfield located on the southern edge of Worms, Germany. The event involved two aircraft: a Cessna 172R and a Cessna 152. The airfield features an 800-meter asphalt runway oriented 06/24 and a parallel 920-meter grass runway. The field elevation is 295 feet above mean sea level, and the standard circuit height is 1,300 feet AMSL. ## Flight Operations and Sequence of Events The Cessna 172R was conducting a VFR training flight with a flight instructor and a student pilot aboard. They were performing touch-and-go landings on runway 24. After an aborted landing, the aircraft was in initial climb. The crew reported seeing the oncoming Cessna 152 at the 11 o'clock position just before turning onto the crosswind leg, estimating the distance at 20 meters horizontally and 3 meters vertically. The Cessna 152 was on a VFR flight from Egelsbach to Worms, approximately 23 nautical miles to the southwest. The sole pilot, a 69-year-old woman, initially contacted Egelsbach Info by mistake instead of Worms Info. She was instructed to join the right-hand circuit for runway 06. Radar data indicated the closest approach occurred at approximately 11:03:40 local time. The pilot stated she did not notice the proximity. ## Aircraft and Personnel Details The Cessna 172R, a 2006 model, was operated by a German flight school and used for charter and training. It was equipped with a transponder but lacked a collision warning system. The Cessna 152, a 1979 model, was also operated by a German flight school and charter service, with similar equipment limitations. The Cessna 172R was piloted by a 41-year-old flight instructor with 632 total hours and a 46-year-old student pilot. The Cessna 152 was piloted by a 69-year-old private pilot with 194 total hours. Both aircraft continued their flights as planned after the incident. ## Investigation and Data Analysis The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) analyzed radar raw data provided by the air navigation service provider. The horizontal distance was calculated by interpolating position data from a single radar installation (Frankfurt Süd/FFS), while the vertical distance was derived from transponder altitude information. The minimum calculated separation was approximately 32 meters horizontally and 194 feet vertically. The investigation noted that the Cessna 152 had also made close approaches to a Diamond DV 20, an Aquila AT 01, and a Piper PA 28 during the same flight, though these were not classified as serious incidents. The Worms airfield traffic controller reported seeing the Cessna 152 only after being informed by the Cessna 172R crew, at which point the aircraft was already on final approach to runway 06.