1995-03 · NASA ASRS report 299257
EVASIVE ACTION GAR. PLT ON APCH DECIDES TO MAKE A GAR WHEN PRECEDING ACFT DOES NOT CLR THE RWY IN TIME. THE OTHER ACFT'S PLT ACCUSES THE GAR PLT OF FLYING TOO NEAR.
ON MAR/SAT/95 BTWN APPROX XA30-XB30; I WAS PIC OF A PIPER AZTEC; FLYING BTWN JAX AND 23J IN JACKSONVILLE; FL. APPROX 7-10 MI NE OF 23J INBOUND; I CALLED ON THE UNICOM FREQ (122.8) REQUESTING TA'S AND WAS ADVISED RWY 7 WAS IN USE. SUBSEQUENTLY; I HEARD A CESSNA; ON THE FREQ; RPT HIS POS 3 MI FROM THE ARPT WITH INTENTIONS TO ENTER THE L- HAND TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 7. I XMITTED MY POS OVER THE FREQ TO THE TFC WHEN I WAS 3 MI NE OF THE FIELD. AFTER I HAD DONE SO; I HEARD THE CESSNA RPT ENTERING THE L DOWNWIND LEG TO RWY 7. WHEN I ENTERED THE L DOWNWIND LEG TO RWY 7 APPROX 1/2 MI NE OF THE ARPT; I OBSERVED THE CESSNA ON THE DOWNWIND LEG AHEAD OF ME IN THE VICINITY OF THE APCH END OF THE RWY. I MADE A XMISSION THAT I WAS ENTERING THE L DOWNWIND LEG TO RWY 7; #2; WITH THE TFC IN SIGHT. AT THIS POINT; SPACING AND TFC SEPARATION FOR THE LNDG SEQUENCE WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE. THE CESSNA TURNED BASE LEG AND XMITTED THAT IT HAD DONE SO. I PERFORMED MY LNDG CHKS AND COMPLETED THEM ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. I LOOKED FOR MY TFC AND HE WAS ON SHORT FINAL. SPACING LOOKED GOOD. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; I TURNED BASE LEG AND XMITTED THAT I HAD DONE SO. SHORTLY AFTER I HAD TURNED BASE LEG; I NOTICED THAT THE CESSNA HAD LANDED AND SLOWED DOWN IN THE FIRST FEW HUNDRED FT OF THE RWY. I SLOWED MY ACFT DOWN TO ALLOW MORE TIME FOR THE CESSNA TO CLR THE RWY. AS I TURNED FINAL; I COULD SEE THAT THE CESSNA STILL HAD NOT CLRED THE RWY AND STILL HAD A WAY TO GO. I INITIATED A SERIES OF S-TURNS IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE CESSNA EVEN MORE TIME TO CLR THE RWY. ON SHORT FINAL; I KEPT THINKING THE CESSNA WOULD SPD UP AND EXPEDITE HIS DEP FROM THE RWY; BUT HE NEVER DID. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT A SAFE LNDG COULD NOT BE MADE; SO I INITIATED A GAR MANEUVER. AS I ADDED PWR AND RETRACTED MY FLAPS AND LNDG GEAR; I MANEUVERED MY ACFT OVER THE GRASS ON THE S SIDE OF THE RWY IN A SIDE-STEP MANEUVER IN ORDER TO AVOID PASSING DIRECTLY OVER THE CESSNA ON THE GAR. I HELD THE ACFT IN A LEVEL FLT ATTITUDE IN ORDER TO GAIN AIRSPD AND ONCE A GOOD CLBING AIRSPD WAS ESTABLISHED; I INITIATED A CLB AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER A L-HAND TURN TO RE-ENTER THE TFC PATTERN TO RWY 7. AS I PASSED TO THE R OF THE CESSNA; HE WAS STILL ON THE RWY SEVERAL HUNDRED FT FROM THE TURNOFF. THE SUBSEQUENT LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. IT IS 2425 FT FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 7 TO THE TURNOFF. IN MY ESTIMATION; THE CESSNA HAD LANDED AND SLOWED DOWN WITHIN THE FIRST 400-600 FT OF THE RWY AND TAXIED THE REMAINING 1800-2000 FT OF THE RWY AT A SPD OF 10-15 MPH. AT THAT SPD IT TAKES BTWN 1.5 AND 2 MINS TO TRAVEL THAT DISTANCE. AS I WAS TYING DOWN MY ACFT; THE PLT OF THE CESSNA WALKED OVER TO ME AND SAID THAT I HAD SCARED HIM ON THE GAR. IT WAS MY DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT THIS PLT WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF ANY TFC BEHIND HIM AND WAS THUS ALARMED WHEN AN ACFT APPEARED 'OUT OF NOWHERE.' I FEEL THE PLT'S SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WAS DEFICIENT AND THAT HE DISPLAYED AND EXERCISED POOR JUDGEMENT; POOR AIRMANSHIP; AND A LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM AND CONSIDERATION FOR OTHER PLTS BY REMAINING ON AND TYING UP THE RWY FOR AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. THE PLT SAID HE FEELS I COMPROMISED AVIATION SAFETY AND SAID HE MAY FILE A COMPLAINT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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