What happened
On April 14, 2018, at approximately 13:40 UTC, a near-collision occurred at the Trebujena aerodrome in Cádiz, Spain. A Cessna 172, registration OE-KTM, operated by Fly in Spain, was conducting takeoff and landing training maneuvers. While the instructor was completing a right-hand turn to enter the downwind leg for runway 26 at an altitude of 900 ft, another aircraft flew directly over the aircraft at a distance of approximately 5 meters.
The instructor initially believed the passing aircraft was a Piper PA-28-161, registration EC-IMQ, which was operating a solo instructional flight for Flight Training Europe. After the encounter, the instructor contacted Jerez Tower to identify the passing traffic. However, radar analysis and flight data revealed that the Piper PA-28-161 was actually at an altitude of approximately 1,900 ft when it passed over the area, creating a vertical separation of roughly 940 feet from the training flight.
The investigation
The CIAIAC examined radar tracks provided by Enaire and statements from both pilots. The investigation focused on determining whether the Piper PA-28-161 was the aircraft that caused the near-miss. Radar imagery showed that the Piper PA-28-161 maintained a minimum altitude of 1,900 ft while traversing the area near Trebujena and did not begin its descent toward Jerez until it reached point W, well after the reported incident.
While the pilot of the Piper PA-28-161 believed they had descended to 1,400 ft in the vicinity of Trebujena, the radar data contradicted this, placing the aircraft significantly higher than the training flight. There were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft involved.