LTT ON APCH AT UNCTLED ARPT MAKES A GAR AS MDT TAKES TOO LONG ON RWY PRIOR TO TKOF.
Synopsis
LTT ON APCH AT UNCTLED ARPT MAKES A GAR AS MDT TAKES TOO LONG ON RWY PRIOR TO TKOF.
Narrative
WE WERE APCHING FROM THE W TO LAND AT EAGLE COUNTY; CO. EAGLE COUNTY IS AN UNCTLED ARPT WITH A FSS ON THE FIELD. APPROX 25 MI TO THE W WE CALLED EAGLE FLT SVC FOR AN ARPT ADVISORY AND RECEIVED THE INFO THAT THE WX WAS CLR AND EITHER RWY WAS AVAILABLE. AT THIS TIME I ELECTED TO ENTER THE PATTERN WITH A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 25. WE STATED OUR POS ON FREQ 123.6 AS WE ENTERED THE L DOWNWIND TO RWY 25. WE FLEW A STANDARD PATTERN TO SET UP FOR LNDG. DURING THE DOWNWIND AND BASE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO STATE OUR POS IN THE PATTERN DUE TO THE FSS COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER ACFT. ONCE ESTABLISHED ON FINAL WE STATED OUR POS AS BEING 1 1/2 MI ON FINAL. AT THE TIME WE ANNOUNCED OUR POS ON FINAL; THERE WAS AN MDT HOLDING SHORT OF THE RWY AWAITING DEP. AFTER OUR CALL THE MDT CALLED US BY THE LAST 2 LETTERS OF OUR REGISTRATION NUMBER STATING THAT THEY WERE TAKING THE RWY FOR DEP AND THAT THEY FELT THERE WAS ENOUGH ROOM FOR THEM TO DEPART PRIOR TO OUR ARR. I DID NOT AGREE WITH THE MDT PLT'S ASSESSMENT AS TO THERE BEING ENOUGH ROOM; BUT ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE APCH EXPECTING THE MDT TO EXPEDITE HIS DEP DUE TO OUR BEING ON SHORT FINAL (WE HAD OUR TAXI LIGHTS ON AT THIS TIME AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN EASILY SEEN). AS WE APCHED THE RWY THE MDT HAD STARTED HIS TKOF ROLL; BUT IN MY OPINION HAD TAKEN TOO MUCH TIME IN INITIATING HIS DEP. THE MDT WAS STILL ON THE RWY AS WE APCHED THE RWY END AND WAS CAUSING SOME BUFFETING OF OUR ACFT DUE TO HIS THRUST TURB. AT THIS TIME I ELECTED TO EXECUTE A GAR DUE TO THE BUFFETING OF OUR ACFT AND THE UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHETHER THE MDT WOULD BE ON THE RWY AT THE TIME OF OUR TOUCHDOWN. I FLEW MY ACFT TO THE N SIDE OF THE RWY TO KEEP THE OTHER ACFT IN SIGHT AND TO AVOID ANY THRUST OR WAKE TURB. ONCE THE MDT HAD TURNED TO THE XWIND FOR HIS DEP I BEGAN MY XWIND TURN TO REENTER THE PATTERN. WE LANDED ON RWY 25 WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I FEEL THAT THE PLT OF THE MDT EXERCISED VERY POOR JUDGEMENT IN TAKING THE RWY WITH OUR ACFT AS CLOSE TO THE RWY END AS IT WAS. IF THE MDT PLT HAD EXPEDITED HIS DEP AND NOT TAKEN THE TIME HE DID; I FEEL THAT WE COULD HAVE LANDED ON THE RWY BY THE TIME HIS ACFT HAD BECOME AIRBORNE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.