2 SMAS WERE NOSE TO NOSE ON LNDG APCH TO RWYS 2 AND 20.
Synopsis
2 SMAS WERE NOSE TO NOSE ON LNDG APCH TO RWYS 2 AND 20.
Narrative
ENRTE TO MCKELLAR ARPT FROM M01 I TUNED IN TO 123.6 APPROX 20 MI W AND LISTENED TO ADVISORIES GIVING WINDS AS 340 AT 9 KTS AND RWY 2 AS THE ACTIVE RWY. I CALLED FSS AT 10 MI W AND RECEIVED AN ARPT ADVISORY GIVING WHAT I UNDERSTOOD AS RWY 2 AS THE ACTIVE RWY WITH WINDS STILL AT 340. SEVERAL OTHER ACFT WERE RPTED IN THE AREA CONDUCTING IFR TRAINING HOLDING OVER THE VOR AND SHOOTING PRACTICE APCHS. I ADVISED I WOULD BE ENTERING L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 2 AND ACTIVELY BEGAN SCANNING FOR TFC. I SAW NO TFC BUT SHORTLY BEFORE TURNING DOWNWIND I HEARD ANOTHER ACFT ON APCH FOR RWY 20. AT THIS TIME; THE FACT THAT THE OTHER AIRPLANE WAS ON APCH TO THE RECIPROCAL RWY DID NOT REGISTER; PERHAPS DUE TO THE SIMILARITY IN NUMBERS OF THE RWYS (2 AND 20). I BROADCAST ENTERING DOWNWIND AND ASKED FOR THE LOCATION OF THE OTHER ACFT WHO REPLIED HE WAS ON FINAL FOR 20. AS I CONTINUED ON A LONG DOWNWIND AND TURNED BASE LEG; I SAW AN AIRPLANE IN THE POS WHERE I EXPECTED TO FIND THE OTHER AIRPLANE AND CALLED OUT THAT I HAD THE TFC ON FINAL TO RWY 20 IN SIGHT. THIS AIRPLANE CONTINUED N WITHOUT LNDG AND I CONTINUED MY APCH; BROADCASTING THAT I WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 20 WHEN I WAS IN FACT ON FINAL FOR RWY 2. APPROX 1/2 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD; I HEARD ANOTHER ACFT ASK IF I WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 2 OR RWY 20. AT THE SAME TIME I OBSERVED THE OTHER AIRPLANE OFF TO MY 2 O'CLOCK POS IN A STEEP CLBING L TURN APPROX 300 FT ABOVE ME AND 1000 FT AWAY. AT THIS TIME I RECOGNIZED THAT I HAD BEEN ON A CONFLICTING APCH WITH THIS ACFT AND INITIATED A R CLBING TURN FOLLOWING THE OTHER AIRPLANE ON A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 20. I ADVISED OVER THE RADIO THAT I HAD MISUNDERSTOOD THE ACTIVE RWY AND BROADCAST MY INTENTION TO FOLLOW THE ACFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 20 AND LAND BEHIND HIM. THE OTHER AIRPLANE CONTINUED N OUT OF THE TFC PATTERN AND I LANDED ON RWY 20. ABOUT 10 MINS AFTER I LANDED; THE OTHER AIRPLANE LANDED AND I APCHED THE PLT TO DISCUSS THE INCIDENT AND EXPLAIN MY ACTIONS. THE OTHER OCCUPANT OF THE PLANE IDENTED HIMSELF AS A FAA DESIGNATED EXAMINER AND BECAME VERY IRATE. I WAS UNABLE TO CARRY ON A RATIONAL DISCUSSION WITH HIM; SO I APOLOGIZED AND LEFT. I STILL DO NOT KNOW THE NAME OF THE PLT OR THE PAX IN THE OTHER ACFT. IN RETROSPECT; I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED BECAUSE OF MY REACTION TO THE INITIAL INFO I HEARD OVER THE ADVISORY AND THE SIMILARITY IN RWY NUMBERS. WHAT I INITIALLY HEARD ON THE ADVISORY FREQ WAS RWY 2 AND WINDS 340 AT 9 KTS. THIS SEEMED TO BE THE LOGICAL RWY FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS AND I SIMPLY DID NOT COMPREHEND THE CHANGE IN RWY WHEN THE WIND REMAINED THE SAME AND THE RWY. AND IT'S RECIPROCAL SOUNDED SO MUCH ALIKE. AFTER THIS; I WILL FOREVER BE CAREFUL OF HDG 020 AND THE RECIPROCAL OF 200. PERHAPS THESE COULD BE PRONOUNCED IN A DIFFERENT WAY. IT HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT 5 AND 9 REQUIRE SPECIAL ATTN. I SUBMIT THAT BEING ON A HDG OF 0-2-0 IS EASILY MISCONSTRUED TO BE THE APCH HDG TO RWY 2-0. THIS INCIDENT HAS DESTROYED MY COMPLACENCY AND LED TO MY RETHINKING OF RADIO TERMINOLOGY. HENCEFORTH; WHEN THERE IS ANY CHANCE OF MISUNDERSTANDING; I WILL USE RADIO TERMINOLOGY WHICH INCLUDES THE NEAREST CARDINAL HDG SUCH AS RWY 2-0 TO THE S OR RWY 2 LNDG TO THE N.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.