What happened
In 2018, the Dutch Safety Board investigated a variety of aviation occurrences, ranging from serious incidents in commercial aviation to fatal accidents in general aviation. Notable events included several airprox situations near the new Noordkop glider airfield, where gliders and motorized aircraft experienced close encounters. In the general aviation sector, several accidents resulted in five fatalities, including a crash involving a Pipistrel Alpha Electro near Onstwedde and a fatal accident involving a Europa aircraft at Hilversum Airfield.
Other significant events included a runway excursion involving an A-211 Aquila, registration G-GAEC, at Breda International Airport, where the aircraft bounced during landing, causing the nose wheel to detach. Additionally, a near-miss occurred over the Flevopolder between a Diamond DA-40 NG, registration PH-EGM, and an HOAC DV-20 Katana, registration PH-MFT, with a minimum separation of only 10 meters.
The investigation
The Board examined various operational and technical factors across multiple incidents. For the near-miss between the PH-EGM and PH-MFT, investigators analyzed radar data and cockpit systems, noting that the pilot's Traffic Avoidance System (TAS) provided a critical warning. In the case of an Embraer EMB-120ER, registration EC-JBD, at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the investigation focused on a misaligned takeoff caused by the pilot misinterpreting runway edge lights as centerline lights.
Findings
Investigations into the airprox events near Noordkop revealed that pilots were often unaware of the presence of other aircraft, partly due to the recent establishment of the glider airfield. In the PH-EGM and PH-MFT encounter, the investigation found that the effectiveness of the see-and-avoid principle was reduced by excellent weather conditions, which made anti-collision lights less visible.
Regarding the EC-JBD takeoff at Schiphol, the Board identified a combination of infrastructure and operational issues, including a large turning circle and the interruption of the centerline by taxiway S5, which contributed to the pilot's error.