Near-Miss Incident in Tallinn Approaches

Incident Overview and Classification On August 25, 2012, at 11:14 local time, a Cessna 172 (registration ES-ECY) completed a touch-and-go training flight on runway 26 at Tallinn Airport. Due to approaching IFR traffic, the aircraft was instructed to hold in the South holding area until further notice. Immediately afterward, a Beechcraft Bonanza (registration ES-MHG) was cleared to depart runway 26 toward Vaida. Both flights were operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with a maximum authorized altitude of 1,200 feet in the Tallinn vicinity. The Cessna 172 entered the South holding area and began a left turn, a maneuver the pilot later explained was intended to gain an earlier visual on another aircraft flying in the same direction. The Bonanza captain, aware that the departure route via Vaida would pass through the South holding area, requested permission from Tallinn Tower to climb to 2,000 feet to increase vertical separation. This request was not granted. As the Bonanza approached the holding area, the air traffic controller asked the Cessna 172 to confirm its position. The Cessna confirmed it was in the holding area but did not report its altitude. The Bonanza pilot spotted the Cessna ahead at approximately the same altitude and voluntarily increased his altitude to 1,400 feet. The Cessna 172 continued its left turn in the northeastern segment of the South holding area, crossing over the intersection of Tartu mnt and Jüri with a heading of 000°–005°. Approximately 24 seconds later, while still turning, it passed in front of and below the oncoming Bonanza. At the moment of closest approach, the Cessna's track was 286° and the Bonanza's was 143°. Seeing that the other aircraft remained at the same altitude, the Bonanza captain further increased his altitude to 1,600 feet. The Cessna 172 did not perform an evasive maneuver. Radar data indicated that at 09:17:47.11 UTC, the horizontal separation between the aircraft was 0.12 nautical miles (222 m) and the vertical separation was 206 feet (63 m). The incident was classified by the Safety Investigation Centre as an incident under ICAO Annex XIII. No formal safety investigation was conducted, and the report contains only factual material without analysis, causes, or safety recommendations.