FLC STARTED GAR WHEN A HELI CAME DIRECTLY AT THEM ON FINAL.
Synopsis
FLC STARTED GAR WHEN A HELI CAME DIRECTLY AT THEM ON FINAL.
Narrative
ON 4 MI ILS FINAL TO RWY 14L IAH; TWR CALLED OUT 'HELI TFC AT 1 O'CLOCK; 3 MI; HE HAS YOU IN SIGHT AND WILL PASS BEHIND.' ON 2 MI FINAL I FOUND THE TFC AT 2 O'CLOCK; 1/2 MI; SLIGHTLY LOW. WE HAD THE TFC ON TCASII AS WELL; INDICATING 200 FT BELOW US. HIS LNDG LIGHT WAS ON AND POINTING DIRECTLY AT US. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARED TO BE ON A DIRECT COLLISION COURSE. 200 FT MARGIN WAS NOT COMFORTABLE SO I INITIATED A GAR. I ACCELERATED AND LEVELED OFF. AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF HIS POS BEING FROZE ON MY WINDSCREEN HE STARTED TO SLIDE AFT. TCASII SHOWED HE PASSED 200 FT BELOW AND SLIGHTLY AFT. VISUALLY I LOST SIGHT OF HIM AT 5 O'CLOCK AND LOW. WE CONTINUED THE APCH AND LANDED. I FEEL THE HELI PLT EXERCISED EXTREMELY POOR JUDGEMENT IN PASSING SO CLOSE TO MY ACFT ON SHORT FINAL. HE MISJUDGED HIS DISTANCE FROM ME; HIS CLOSURE AND HIS TURN RATE. HE WAS IN CONTACT WITH IAH TWR AND HAD PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH TWR'S AIRSPACE. IAH TWR DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN NOTIFYING US OF THE TFC AND HIS INTENTIONS. HOWEVER; FROM HIS (TWR) PERSPECTIVE; HE COULD NOT CTL NOR JUDGE THE HELI'S MANEUVERING TO PASS BEHIND US. I DON'T LIKE MANEUVERING ON SHORT FINAL TO CORRECT FOR ANOTHER PLT'S POOR AIRMANSHIP. I FEEL WHEN I'M ON AN IFR CLRNC CONDUCTING AN INST APCH ATC SHOULD KEEP ALL KNOWN TFC OUT OF MY WAY SO I DON'T HAVE TO BE DISTRACTED DURING THE LAST FEW CRITICAL SECONDS OF AN APCH. IF THAT MEANS 10 MI; GREAT! 5 MI MINIMUM! VFR TFC; IFR TFC; ANYBODY GIVEN PERMISSION TO CROSS THE APCH CORRIDOR TO ANY ACTIVE RWY SHOULD DO SO AT SUCH A DISTANCE AS TO NOT DISTRACT; INHIBIT OR IMPEDE LNDG TFC IN ANY WAY; SHAPE OR FORM.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.