What happened
On November 1, 2016, at 15:30 UTC, a serious incident occurred at Brno/Tuřany Airport (LKTB) involving two Cessna 152 aircraft. The first aircraft, OK-MMB, was performing a training flight and had just landed on runway 27. The air traffic controller (ATCo) had previously instructed the pilot of OK-MMB to perform an extended landing pattern to minimize runway occupancy time.
Shortly after, the second aircraft, OK-LD, was cleared to land on the same runway. However, the preceding aircraft, OK-MMB, had not yet vacated the runway. The pilot of OK-FAB proceeded to a short final and landed on the occupied runway. Following the landing, the pilot of OK-FAB also vacated the runway via taxiway C instead of the instructed taxiway D.
The investigation
The ÚZPLN investigation examined radar records, audio recordings, and operational documentation. The investigation established that the air traffic controller was managing VFR traffic and was dealing with a technical malfunction on the TR-7 radar, which showed repeated target splitting. Consequently, the controller was relying primarily on visual references.
Investigators noted that the pilot of OK-FAB was a foreign national and likely did not understand the Czech-language communications occurring between the controller and the pilot of OK-MMB. Furthermore, the investigation found that the pilot of OK-MMB landed without extending the landing flaps, while the pilot of OK-FAB had the flaps extended, which likely affected the perceived separation between the two aircraft.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the issuance of landing clearance onto an occupied runway.
- The air traffic controller failed to verify that the runway had been vacated by OK-MMB before clearing OK-FAB to land.
- The pilot of OK-FAB shortened their approach and maintained a higher speed (approximately 120 knots) compared to the preceding aircraft, reducing the available separation.
- The controller did not provide any information to the pilot of OK-FAB regarding the presence of the preceding aircraft on the runway.
- A radar malfunction caused target splitting, forcing the controller to rely on visual monitoring.