What happened
On 26 October 2009, a Diamond DA 42 Twin Star, registration G-PETS, was performing a commercial air transport flight at Bagby Airfield. During the landing roll on Runway 06, the pilot observed a Cessna 172M Skyhawk, registration G-BTMR, entering the runway at a 45-degree angle from the north. The Cessna 172M then proceeded to taxi along the runway in the same direction as the landing aircraft.
The pilot of G-PETS applied maximum braking to avoid a collision, estimating that the closest distance between the two aircraft was between 50 and 75 metres. The Cessna 172M eventually vacated the runway onto a taxiway.
Earlier that day, the crew of G-BTMR had landed on the reciprocal Runway 24 and parked in the maintenance area. Approximately three hours later, the two pilots of G-BTMR reboarded the aircraft, swapped seats, and changed headsets to prepare for a departure from Runway 24. While taxiing, the commander of G-BTMR attempted to use the air-to-ground radio but could not establish contact. After making a blind call to announce their backtracking, the crew crossed the main runway without seeing any traffic on Runway 06.
The investigation
The investigation examined the radio communications and the visibility of the aircraft involved. It was noted that the crew of G-BTMR was not receiving or transmitting radio calls because they had not yet checked their headset connections or recycled the radio.
At the time of the encounter, the pilot of G-PETS was at a very low altitude, and the investigation considered that the Cessna 172M might have been obscured by the aircraft's own structure or the sloping terrain of the airfield. Furthermore, the crew of G-BTMR did not observe the Diamond DA 42 because they were operating under the assumption that Runway 24 was the active runway, as it had been used earlier in the day, and they received no radio response to their blind call.
Findings
- The pilot of G-PETS was at a very low level during the encounter, which may have led to the other aircraft being obscured by terrain or aircraft structure.
- The crew of G-BTMR failed to observe the landing aircraft because they did not establish effective radio communication due to unverified headset connections.
- The expectation that Runway 24 was the active runway, combined with the lack of radio response, contributed to the crew's failure to identify the presence of G-PETS on Runway 06.