Incident Overview
On 14 April 2018 at 13:40 UTC, a loss of separation incident occurred at Trebujena Aerodrome (Cádiz) involving two aircraft. The first aircraft, a Cessna 172P registration OE-KTM, operated by Fly in Spain, was conducting touch-and-go landings on runway 26 with an instructor and a student on board. The second aircraft, a Piper PA-28-161 registration EC-IMQ, operated by Flight Training Europe, S.L., was flown solo by a student on a training flight.
Sequence of Events
According to the instructor on the Cessna, after turning right to enter the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he observed another aircraft flying south at no more than 5 meters above his aircraft. He initially requested information via radio, and after landing, he contacted Jerez Airport tower by telephone. The tower informed him that the aircraft was the Piper PA-28-161 with call sign AYR74, which had landed shortly before.
Factual Information
Personnel
The pilot of the Cessna 172, a 64-year-old Spanish national, held a Commercial Pilot License (CPL(A)) with SEP and FI ratings valid through May 2019 and May 2020, respectively. He had a total of 5,000 flight hours, including approximately 800 as an instructor. The student on the Piper, a 24-year-old Swiss national, held a Class 1 medical certificate and had about 90 flight hours.
Aircraft
The Cessna 172P (registration OE-KTM, serial number 172-75867) was registered by Austro Control on 1 February 2012 and had about 3,900 flight hours at the time of the incident. The Piper PA-28-161 (registration EC-IMQ) was operated by Flight Training Europe. No damage occurred to either aircraft.
Injuries
All occupants were uninjured: two on the Cessna (instructor and student) and one on the Piper (student).
Communication and Radar
The instructor contacted Jerez tower after landing. Examination of radar tracks could not confirm that the Piper overflew the Cessna at the reported distance.
Meteorological Information
Both flights were conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Specific weather data were not provided in the report.
Conclusions
The investigation could not determine the cause of the loss of separation. No safety recommendations were issued.