INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT IN TFC PATTERN; ON FINAL ARE OVERTAKEN BY A MOONEY RESULTING IN NMAC.

Date: 1996-01 · Aircraft: Cessna 152

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance

Synopsis

INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT IN TFC PATTERN; ON FINAL ARE OVERTAKEN BY A MOONEY RESULTING IN NMAC.

Narrative

MY STUDENT AND I MADE A FULL STOP LNDG ON RWY 21 AT SANTA MONICA ARPT. WE DECIDED TO REMAIN IN THE PATTERN ONE MORE TIME TO PRACTICE A SHORT FIELD TKOF AND LNDG. WE TOOK OFF AND OUR UPWIND WAS EXTENDED BY THE TWR; APPROX 1 MI FURTHER; DUE TO TFC CONGESTION IN THE PATTERN. THE VISIBILITY WAS APPROX 50 MI WITH NO CEILING. THERE WERE APPROX 6-8 ACFT APCHING FROM ALL QUADRANTS. WE TURNED XWIND AND ENTERED THE S DOWNWIND FOR L CLOSED TFC; RWY 21. MY STUDENT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE HIS INITIAL CALL ABEAM THE TWR; DUE TO RADIO CONGESTION. HE CALLED THE TWR; ON DOWNWIND; APPROX 1 1/2 MI PAST THE APCH END OF THE ARPT; TO REQUEST A FULL STOP LNDG. THE TWR TOLD US TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND AND FOLLOW A LEARJET ON A 5 MI FINAL. WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE LEARJET; BUT; NEVER MADE INITIAL VISUAL CONTACT WITH IT. WHILE ON DOWNWIND APPROX 3 MI NE OF THE APCH END OF RWY 21; THE TWR RPTED THE LEARJET AT 11 O'CLOCK; FROM OUR POS. AGAIN; WE NEVER MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE LEARJET; AND SO; WE CONTINUED DOWNWIND. WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT THE TWR; DUE TO HVY RADIO CONGESTION TO LET HIM KNOW WE DID NOT SEE THE LEARJET. WE CALLED THE TWR 7 MI OUT TO NOTIFY HIM WE WERE TURNING BASE; THE TWR NEVER REPLIED. APPROX 6 MI OUT I MADE ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO REACH THE TWR; TO NOTIFY HIM THAT I WAS ON FINAL. AGAIN; THE TWR DID NOT REPLY. DURING THE TIME WE CONTINUED OUR DOWNWIND; AFTER NOT MAKING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE LEARJET; THE TWR TURNED A FEW AIRPLANES; IN FRONT OF US FOR BASE ENTRY. AT ABOUT 4-5 MI OUT ON FINAL; I CALLED THE TWR AGAIN; AND HE TOLD ME TO MAKE A L 360 DEG TURN. AS I WAS MAKING MY 360 DEG TURN; WITH NO MORE THAN A 30 DEG BANK; THE TWR CALLED TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK POS. AT THIS POINT; I WAS ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY THROUGH MY 360 DEG TURN. I RPTED THAT I HAD 2 TARGETS ON THE N DOWNWIND THAT COULD OF POSSIBLY BEEN THE TFC HE WAS CALLING. I DO NOT KNOW. THE TWR TOLD ME TO FOLLOW A CHEROKEE IN FRONT OF ME ON FINAL. I RPTED BACK AND REPEATED THAT I WOULD FOLLOW THE CHEROKEE. I HEARD THE TWR MAKE A CALL TO THE TFC BEHIND ME; WHICH WAS A LOW WING ACFT. TWR TOLD THE MOONEY; TO FOLLOW THE CESSNA 1 MI AHEAD. THE MOONEY RPTED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THE TFC; BECAUSE THE SUN WAS IN HIS EYES. AT APPROX 2.5 MI OUT; 40 SECONDS AFTER THE TWR MADE THE LAST CALL TO THE MOONEY; I NOTICED THE MOONEY DSNDING THROUGH MY ALT; OVER ME AND A LITTLE TO THE L OF ME. I DID NOT TAKE EVASIVE ACTION; FOR THE MOONEY WAS MUCH FASTER THAN I; AND WAS STILL HIGHER. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TWR; AND PROCEEDED TO RPT THE MOONEY; DSNDING IN FRONT OF ME AND OVERTAKING ME. THE TWR TOLD THE MOONEY TO GAR. I WAS THEN CLRED TO LAND; AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I BELIEVE SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO BE: 1) HIGH TFC VOLUME; AND MUCH RADIO CONGESTION. 2) THE MOONEY; DID NOT SEE THE TFC 1 MI AHEAD; WAS APPROX TWICE MY SPD; HAD HIS GEAR UP; AND DID NOT THINK TO SLOW DOWN; OR DO S-TURNS TO FIND HIS TFC. HE DID NOT DETERMINE THAT I WAS A HIGH WING ACFT; AND HE A LOW WING; THAT I WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN HIM. 3) AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE; I WAS INDICATING 85 KTS; THE MOONEY WAS HIGHER THAN I; AND MAYBE INDICATING 120-140 KTS. I FEEL SOME THINGS CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE: 1) ON A VERY CLR SAT AND/OR SUN; WITH CALM WINDS AND NO CEILING; IT SHOULD BE APPARENT TO THE SANTA MONICA TWR; THAT THE PROBABILITY OF HIGH TFC WILL MOST LIKELY OCCUR. DUE TO THIS TFC AND RADIO CONGESTION; THE TWR SHOULD NOT ALLOW TFC INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE; UNTIL THEY KNOW FOR SURE THAT THEY CAN HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF TFC. 2) THE TWR COULD HAVE TOLD THE MOONEY TO STAY CLR OF THE CLASS D AIRSPACE; AND CIRCLE OVER DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES; WHICH IS APPROX 10 MI NE OF THE ARPT. THAT IS WHERE THE MOONEY MADE HIS INITIAL CALL; AND THE TWR TOLD HIM TO STANDBY. 3) ON HIGH DENSITY DAYS AT SANTA MONICA; IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE ANOTHER CTLR IN THE TWR OVERSEEING THE JOB OF THE CTLR ON THE TWR FREQ; IN CASE THE WORKLOAD BECOMES OUT-OF-CTL. 4) LOW-WING AND HIGH-WING ACFT; NEED TO BE EXTRA AWARE OF EACH OTHER; ESPECIALLY AT CRITICAL TIMES; IE; LNDG CONFIGN. 5) FAST ACFT MUST BE AWARE THAT IF THEY ARE FOLLOWING A SLOW ACFT WHICH THEY CANNOT SEE IN THE TFC PATTERN; THEY MUST SLOW DOWN AND DO S-TURNS FOR SPACING. THEY MUST DO SOMETHING TO FIND THEIR TFC.

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