What happened
On November 13, 2023, at 16:46 local time, a near-collision occurred near Villamert, Madrid, involving two aircraft operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in Class G airspace. Both aircraft had departed from Madrid-Cuatro Vientos airport.
The first aircraft, a Tecnam P2008 JC, registration EC-OCV, was conducting an instrument training session. The crew, consisting of a flight instructor and a student pilot, was performing VOR radial interceptions. While intercepting the 120º radial of the NVS DVOR/DME in an outbound direction, the instructor spotted the second aircraft. To avoid a collision, the instructor took control, turned right, and descended. The instructor estimated the horizontal separation at only 5 to 10 meters. The crew of EC-OCV reported that they had been communicating their position on the 131.975 MHz air-to-air frequency, but did not hear any transmissions from the other aircraft.
The second aircraft, a Cessna 172R, registration EC-KLA, was being operated by two flight instructors for a flight test master's course. They were flying level at 4,000 ft toward Méntrida. The crew reported hearing the EC-OCV crew's position reports on the air-to-air frequency and had also broadcast their own intentions. They established visual contact with the Tecnam aircraft only after crossing behind it and approximately 300 ft below. The crew of EC-KLA did not perform any evasive maneuvers and noted that they did not perceive a high risk of collision.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined the communications and operational procedures in the area. The investigation found that while the EC-OCV crew was actively communicating, the crew of EC-KLA did not hear the Tecnam aircraft's transmissions. The investigation also noted that the flight information service provided by ENAIRE in the Class G airspace below the Madrid TMA was perceived by users as insufficient, which discouraged pilots from requesting services. Furthermore, the investigation found that the crew of EC-KLA was surprised by the presence of the other aircraft, as they did not expect instrument training maneuvers to be occurring that far from the VOR.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the lack of adherence to VFR rules, which require maintaining an effective visual lookout from the beginning to the end of the flight.
- Communications between the two crews were deficient.
- The crew of the Cessna 172R did not perform any evasive maneuvers upon sighting the other aircraft.
- The Tecnam P2008 JC crossed behind and below the Cessna 172R during the encounter.