PLT ENTERS WRONG TFC PATTERN AND LANDS HEAD-ON WITH OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC AND HIT. MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTH ACFT.

Date: 1993-11 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-incursion-runway|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PLT ENTERS WRONG TFC PATTERN AND LANDS HEAD-ON WITH OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC AND HIT. MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTH ACFT.

Narrative

I WAS FOLLOWING ANOTHER BIPLANE INTO PATTERN AT HAF FOR A FLY-IN. APCHING ARPT; I NOTICED MANY ACFT IN ALL QUADRANTS. SEEMINGLY NO ORGANIZATION. SINCE I WAS IN A NON RADIO ACFT I DIDN'T HEAR TALK. WHILE FOLLOWING LEAD ACFT; WE BECAME SEPARATED BY OTHER TFC THAT DID NOT SEEM TO BE FLYING ANY KIND OF PATTERN. I TURNED AWAY TO AVOID TFC AND LOST SIGHT OF MY LEAD ACFT IN THE HAZE. AT LAST SIGHTING HOWEVER; SHE APPEARED TO BE LINED UP ON A BASE ENTRY TO RWY 12. I SAW ANOTHER ACFT AHEAD OF ME WHO; LATER RPTS INDICATE; CALLED TEMPORARY TWR ASKING ABOUT ME WITH NO ANSWER FROM TWR AS TO MY PRESENCE. THAT ACFT APPEARED AS IF ON BASE TO FINAL FOR RWY 12. THE WIND SOCK INDICATED 12. I LANDED RWY 12; ONLY TO DISCOVER I WAS LNDG AGAINST TFC. I COLLIDED WITH AN SMA. NO INJURIES. APPARENTLY; TWR DID NOT SEE ME AND DID NOT QUESTION ACFT WHO POINTED ME OUT TO THEM. I FEEL AS THOUGH THE TEMPORARY TWR AT A NORMALLY UNCTLED FIELD CONFUSED MOST PLTS CAUSING UNBELIEVABLE CONGESTION AND UNSTANDARD PATTERN USE. LATER; I LEARNED THAT THE TWR HAD ALLOWED 2 OR MORE ACFT ON RWY AT A TIME; MY ACFT BEING UNSUSPECTED AND A COLLISION RESULTED. TWR DID NOT EVEN THEN ALERT ACFT ON FINAL AS TO A PROB. ANOTHER ACFT DID MAKE THE CALL. TEMPORARY TWR WAS A MISTAKE. IN MY OPINION; TFC WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER ON 122.8 AS NORMAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR DOES NOT RECALL SUBMITTING NASA FORM. WAS RELUCTANT TO GIVE MUCH INFO PERTAINING TO THIS INCIDENT; HOWEVER; DID SAY THAT THERE WAS ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO EITHER ACFT. RPTR'S ACFT HAD BENT STRUT AND OTHER ACFT HAD BROKEN LIGHT. ALSO STATED THAT FAA INSPECTOR AT ARPT HAD DISCUSSED INCIDENT; BUT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE. HAS NOT HEARD FROM FAA SINCE THEN. ALSO; DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ASRS PROGRAM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 256239: HAF FLY-IN -- FLT OF 2 SMA ACFT. EXPECTED USUAL 122.8 FREQ. CALLED FSS PRIOR TO DEP AND AFTER 5 MINS ON HOLD; HUNG UP. UPON ARRIVING AT HAF; SAW LOTS OF ACFT AND INFORMED OF TEMPORARY TWR. CALLED TWR; HEARD LOTS OF TALK AND OBVIOUSLY RATTLED CTLR. UNABLE TO ENTER 45 DEG ENTRY LEG; HAD TO EXTEND AND JOIN DOWNWIND BEYOND ARPT. ACFT FOLLOWING ME BECAME SEPARATED BY FASTER ACFT AND LOST SIGHT OF ME. I JOINED DOWNWIND; TRIED TO CALL TWR AS INSTRUCTED. TWR SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'DON'T ANYONE CALL ME. I'M TRYING TO TALK TO THE SMA.' ALSO; TWR SAID; 'THERE ARE A LOT OF ACFT OUT THERE; YOU GUYS BE CAREFUL!' I MAY HAVE LANDED WITHOUT LNDG CLRNC.

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