Near Airmiss Involving a Cessna 152 and a Portuguese Air Force Chipmunk at Ovar (CS-DAK)

Incident Overview On 17 February 2009 at 16:16 UTC, a private Cessna 152, registration CS-DAK, and a Portuguese Air Force De Havilland Chipmunk Mk-20 crossed at the same altitude near the Ovar military aerodrome (A.M.1). The civil aircraft was flying under visual flight rules with a pilot and one passenger. The military aircraft was on a VFR traffic circuit with an instructor and a student pilot. The two aircraft passed at a distance described as about 3 metres. No injuries, aircraft damage, or third-party damage were reported. ## Flight Details The Cessna 152 departed Vila Real Municipal Aerodrome for Aveiro Municipal Aerodrome. The pilot had filed a flight plan and requested permission to fly the return route along the coast at 1,000 feet. The pilot stated that authorization was received without restrictions and that a transponder code of 3465 was assigned. The aircraft then crossed the airspace of the Ovar military aerodrome at 1,000 feet. ## Investigation Findings The Portuguese Air Force pilot reported the incident to the GPIAA on 19 February 2009. The investigation identified a NOTAM restricting civil flights in the Ovar area due to military activity. The civil pilot was unaware of the NOTAM because the Vila Real aerodrome did not provide that information. The analysis concluded that the civil aircraft entered restricted military airspace, causing a near airmiss. The report noted that in VFR flight, the pilot is responsible for ensuring separation from other traffic.