What happened
On March 28, 2017, at approximately 11:46 UTC, a serious airprox incident occurred near the St. Gallen-Altenrhein (LSZR) airfield. The event involved two aircraft operating under different flight rules in opposing directions.
The first aircraft, a P2008 JC with registration HB-KMG, was operating a private VFR flight. It had departed from St. Gallen-Altenrhein with the intention of flying to Lommis (LSZT).
The second aircraft, a Cessna 172S registered as HB-TEE, was conducting an IFR training flight. This aircraft had departed from Bern-Belp (LSZB) and was en route to St. Gallen-Altenrhein (LSZR). The incident occurred as the two aircraft were in close proximity during their respective flight phases.
The investigation
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding this dangerous approach. The preliminary report focuses on the interaction between the aircraft operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and the aircraft operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) during the approach and departure sequences at the airfield.