UNCTLED TFC PATTERN CONFLICT UNDER A LOW CEILING AND IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS BTWN AN SMA AGRICULTURAL ACFT TKOF AND AN ATX ACFT BREAKING OUT OF THE OVCST; MAKING AN INST APCH AND LNDG.

Date: 1993-08 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear · Phase: initial_climb

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc|other-unspecified

Synopsis

UNCTLED TFC PATTERN CONFLICT UNDER A LOW CEILING AND IN MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS BTWN AN SMA AGRICULTURAL ACFT TKOF AND AN ATX ACFT BREAKING OUT OF THE OVCST; MAKING AN INST APCH AND LNDG.

Narrative

ON THE MORNING OF AUG/THU/93; APPROX XA30; I BEGAN OBSERVING THE LCL WX (WHICH APPEARED TO BE MARGINAL VFR). FROM INFO OBTAINED BY FSS IN MACON (60 MI AWAY) AND BY OBSERVING LCL CONDITION; I DECIDED THAT IT APPEARED TO BE A 500-600 FT CEILING OVER THE ARPT WHICH IS LEGAL TO OPERATE UNDER THE PART 137 AGRICULTURAL OPS. SO AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION; I PROCEEDED TO TKOF ON RWY 20 TO CHK THE CEILING FOR THE LCL AREA; BECAUSE WE HAVE NO WX RPTING STATION HERE. THIS TKOF OCCURRED APPROX XB30 AM. UPON MY CLBOUT; I OBSERVED TFC APPROX 3/4 MI ON FINAL APCH WITH NO LNDG LIGHTS ON. I PROCEEDED TO DO A STANDARD AGRICULTURAL TURN TO THE L BECAUSE ALL AGRICULTURAL TURNS BEGIN DOWNWIND. THIS I DID TO AVOID ONCOMING TFC. OBVIOUSLY; THE APCHING PLANE DID NOT SEE ME (EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY LNDG LIGHT AND POS LIGHTS ON) BECAUSE IT CONTINUED THE APCH. THE SO CALLED INCIDENT WAS NOT A NEAR MISS. IN FACT; LATER THE PLT OF THE APCHING ACFT STATED HE DID NOT SEE ME UNTIL HE WAS '280 FT AGL.' BY THEN; MY SMA SEL AND I WERE NOT ONLY OFF THE RWY; BUT I WAS CLBING OUT OVER THE ROW OF HANGARS LOCATED DIRECTLY BESIDE THE TXWY. NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED; NO PROPERTY DAMAGE; AND ABSOLUTELY NOT A NEAR MISS. AFTER DEPARTING; I CIRCLED THE FIELD AND OBSERVED THE CEILING TO BE 600 FT AGL IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT AND BELOW THAT OUT FROM THE ARPT. I DID HAVE 1 1/2 MI VISIBILITY AND 500 FT AGL. I DETERMINED IT WAS NOT TO MY ADVANTAGE TO BEGIN AGRICULTURAL OPS IN THE AREA. WHILE I WAS OUT; THE SMT LANDED. THROUGHOUT THIS SO CALLED INCIDENT; I KEPT VISUAL CONTACT AND AT LEAST 1/2 MI SEPARATION. I THEN LANDED AND THIS IS WHEN THE PLT OF THE SMT PROCEEDED TO INSTRUCT ME THAT HE WAS TURNING ME INTO THE FAA FOR NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS (WHICH INCLUDED OPS IN A CTL ZONE UNDER IFR CONDITIONS) -- BOTH OF WHICH ARE INCORRECT. DUBLIN- GURENS; COUNTY IS AN AGRICULTURAL AREA AND THE ARPT HERE IS UNCTLED AND HAS NO WX RPTING STATION ON THE FIELD. DUBLIN ARPT IS NOT A CTLED ZONE. IT HAS A 700 FT TRANSITION AREA. THE PLT WAS VERY DISRESPECTFUL AND UNAWARE OF PART 137 OPS. HE THREATENED TO SEE TO IT THAT MY LICENSES ARE TAKEN. HE WAS IN VIOLATION OF MANY REGS BY LNDG AT AN UNCTLED FIELD IN PART 135 OPS. THIS PLT IS TRYING TO TAKE ACTION ON MY LICENSES AND AFFECT MY LIVELIHOOD.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.