GA SMA MADE A STEEP DIVING TURN TO JOIN UP WITH A FRIEND TAKING OFF FROM LUK.
Synopsis
GA SMA MADE A STEEP DIVING TURN TO JOIN UP WITH A FRIEND TAKING OFF FROM LUK.
Narrative
A FRIEND AND I WERE GOING TO DEPART TO THE E OF LUK IN OUR 2 SMAS. WE TALKED ABOUT GOING AS A FLT OF 2; HOWEVER; HE SPENT LONGER STARTING AND TAXIING; SO I TOOK OFF ON RWY 2R BEFORE HIM; AND ASKED LCL FOR A L TURNOUT TO 'WAIT OVERHEAD FOR THE OTHER SMA'. TWR OK'ED THIS REQUEST. I TURNED AROUND TO A 020 HDG BTWN THE PARALLELS. IT WAS A PRETTY TIGHT TURNAROUND; AND LEVELED AT PATTERN ALT AS MY FRIEND TOOK THE ACTIVE AND STARTED HIS TKOF ROLL (ALSO ON 2R). I WAS AT 1000 FT AGL AS HE STARTED HIS ROLL; JUST OVER THE WIND SOCK. I CALLED TWR 'I'M GOING TO MAKE A L TURN TO JOIN UP WITH THE OTHER ACFT'. THIS WAS OK'ED. AT THIS POINT I WAS COMING OVER TAXIWAY CHARLIE. I BANKED MY ACFT HARD L AND PUSHED THE NOSE OVER TO DSND TO CATCH UP AND TO GET DOWN TO HIS LEVEL FOR A JOIN-UP. MY BANK WAS EXCESSIVE; COMING TO AROUND 90 DEG. THIS; COMBINED WITH THE NOSE DOWN PITCHING MOTION; WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE A VERY SHARP MANEUVER FROM THE 'POPULATED' AREA OF THE ARPT (1 MI AWAY); POSSIBLY EVEN FROM BELOW. THE REASON I BANKED THAT MUCH WAS TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE OTHER PLANE. IT WAS JUST TOO STEEP. A FRIEND WHO WAS DRINKING AT THE ARPT BAR SAID SOME OTHER PLTS IN THE BAR SAW ME DO A 'HAMMERHEAD' MANEUVER. TO ME THIS WAS LUDICROUS UNTIL I THOUGHT ABOUT THE STEEP BANK; DROP; AND ANGLE/DISTANCE THEY WERE WATCHING FROM. IF THEY ONLY SAW THE LAST HALF OF THE MANEUVER; WHICH IS LIKELY; THEY WOULD HAVE SEEN ME IN A HARD BANK DSNDING; VIEWING FROM THE L QUARTER. IN RETROSPECT; THE MANEUVER WAS MUCH TOO STEEP; TOO AGGRESSIVE. FROM NOW ON; NO STEEP TURNS UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.