NMAC; TFC PATTERN PROC; PLT Y CUTS IN FRONT OF PLT X AT AN UNCTLED ARPT AND HAS AN NMAC.

Date: 1995-04 · Aircraft: Bonanza 33

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|other-unspecified

Synopsis

NMAC; TFC PATTERN PROC; PLT Y CUTS IN FRONT OF PLT X AT AN UNCTLED ARPT AND HAS AN NMAC.

Narrative

PLACE: BUCKEYE MUNICIPAL ARPT; BUCKEYE; AZ. FINAL APCH; RWY 17. LESS THAN 1/2 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD. HT APPROX 150-200 FT AGL. RPTR WAS AT THE APCH END OF RWY 17; SERVING AS 'RWY WATCH;' WHILE HIS STUDENT PLT WAS PERFORMING HIS FIRST SOLO FLT. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A YELLOW PIPER J-3 CUB; XXXB ON A 'MODIFIED STRAIGHT-IN APCH' TO RWY 17. THERE WAS NO FLT PLAN ON MY STUDENT'S FLT; AS THIS WAS A SUPERVISED SOLO FLT. IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER THE OTHER ACFT WAS; OR HAD BEEN ON A FLT PLAN. THE ALTIMETER SETTING AT THE TIME WAS APPROX 29.78. THE WX WAS VMC; WITH UNLIMITED CEILING AND VISIBILITY. THE WINDS WERE VARIABLE FROM ABOUT 150-190 DEGS MAGNETIC; AT ABOUT 12 KTS. ACFT #1: BEECHCRAFT F33A BONANZA; YELLOW; XXXA; HDG APPROX 170 DEGS; ESTABLISHED ON FINAL RWY 17; AND OPERATING IN THE R TFC PATTERN PER ESTABLISHED ARPT PROC. (ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY; AND TFC PATTERN INDICATOR.) ACFT #2: PIPER J-3 CUB; YELLOW; XXXB; APCHING THE ARPT FROM A LOW ALT; HDG APPROX 190 DEGS ON A DOG-LEG FINAL APCH FROM THE L SIDE. BOTH ACFT WERE DSNDING TO THE RWY FOR LNDG PURPOSES. MY DUTIES AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT WERE TO ACT AS RWY WATCH; WHILE MY STUDENT WAS ON HIS FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO FLT. I HAD A PORTABLE 2-WAY RADIO ON THE CTAF FREQ OF 122.8; BINOCULARS; AND A FLARE GUN FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. MY STUDENT; WHILE ON DOWNWIND; OBSERVED THAT HE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE ACFT AHEAD OF HIM ON R DOWNWIND; AND RPTED THAT HE WAS EXTENDING DOWNWIND TO FOLLOW THE TFC. WHEN HE TURNED R BASE; HE GAIN RPTED HIS POS. AS HE TURNED FINAL; I CHKED HIS CONFIGN (GEAR DOWN; FLAPS 15 DEGS; PER COMPANY PROC). AFTER THIS CHK; I TURNED TO CHK THE RWY; AS THE PREVIOUS ACFT WAS EXECUTING A TOUCH-AND-GO. ONCE THE RWY WAS CLR; I TURNED BACK TO MONITOR THE STUDENT'S APCH. I THEN SAW THE J-3 CUB IMMEDIATELY AHEAD; SLIGHTLY L OF; AND SLIGHTLY BELOW THE BONANZA. NEARLY SIMULTANEOUSLY; THE PLT OF THE J-3 MADE HIS FIRST RADIO CALL; 'BUCKEYE TFC; THIS IS PIPER CUB XXXB LNDG RWY 17 BUCKEYE; NEED TO TAKE IT IN.' AT FIRST SIGHTING; THE ACFT WERE PROBABLY LESS THAN 100 FT APART. I MADE AN URGENT CALL; 'BONANZA; GAR; GAR; TFC IN FRONT OF YOU; GAR!' MY STUDENT LATER TOLD ME HE SAW THE J-3 THE SECOND TIME I SAID 'GAR;' AND HE STARTED EVASIVE ACTION BY PULLING UP AND GOING AROUND; AS HE WAS STILL VERY SLIGHTLY OVER THE J-3. MUCH TOO CLOSE! AFTER LNDG; THE PLT OF THE J-3 ADVISED THAT HE WAS 'CLRING THE RWY; THANK YOU VERY MUCH.' I TOLD HIM THAT HE HAD CUT OUT ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL; BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND. HE TAXIED TO THE RAMP AREA; AND APPEARED TO PARK IN A COVERED PARKING SPACE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES; BUT IT CERTAINLY COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE! THIS INCIDENT WAS WITNESSED BY MY OTHER STUDENT; WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME AT THE TIME; AND 2 OTHER INSTRUCTORS; ONE WHO WAS ON DOWNWIND; AND THE OTHER ON XWIND; ALSO IN R CLOSED TFC. SEVERAL POINTS ABOUT THIS INCIDENT DISTURB ME: THE ACFT HAS A WORKING RADIO; AS EVIDENCED BY THE CALL ON SHORT FINAL. WHY WAS THAT THE FIRST CALL? (THE OTHER 2 INSTRUCTORS CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS CALL.) THERE WERE 3 BONANZAS IN R CLOSED TFC; ALL MAKING STANDARD RADIO XMISSIONS. THE ACFT IS APPARENTLY BASED AT BUCKEYE ARPT. THE DIRECTION OF THE TFC PATTERN IS; AND HAS BEEN FOR SEVERAL YRS; R TFC FOR RWY 17. PART OF HIS XMISSION WAS; '...I NEED TO TAKE IT IN.' DID HE WANT/NEED PRIORITY? ANY XMISSION FROM ANOTHER ACFT WOULD MAKE ME AWARE OF THAT ACFT; AND I WOULD HAVE INSTRUCTED OUR ACFT TO GIVE WAY; NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF PATTERN THEY WISH TO FLY! THIS PARTICULAR J- 3 HAS BEEN OBSERVED REGULARLY ENTERING THE PATTERN FROM THE WRONG DIRECTION; AT VERY LOW ALTS; AND FREQUENTLY WITHOUT USING THE RADIO; BY A NUMBER OF OUR STAFF INSTRUCTORS.

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