GOV SMT ON GND SIGHTS F18'S DSNDING BELOW TPA WHEN OVERXING IPL ON DSCNT TO EL CENTRO ARPT.

Date: 1996-01 · Aircraft: Cessna Citation Undifferentiated or Other Model

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

Synopsis

GOV SMT ON GND SIGHTS F18'S DSNDING BELOW TPA WHEN OVERXING IPL ON DSCNT TO EL CENTRO ARPT.

Narrative

RPTR WAS IN COCKPIT OF ACFT PARKED ON RAMP AT IPL. OBSERVED 2 F18'S IN LOOSE FORMATION TURN L OVER ARPT FROM SW TO W AND PROCEED TO NAVY EL CENTRO. F18'S CROSSED OVER IPL AT APPROX 1000 FT AGL APPROX 3/4 DOWN RWY 14; WHICH WAS RWY IN USE; WITH 1 ACFT IN TOUCH AND GO PATTERN (L TFC); AND PROCEEDED INBOUND TO NAVY EL CENTRO. RPTR CONTACTED EL CENTRO TWR SUPVR WHO STATED F18'S HAD ARRIVED HIGH FOR THE OVERHEAD AND FLEW OUT E TO DSND AND REENTER THE PATTERN. TWR OBSERVED ACFT AT WRONG ALT OVER IPL AND ADVISED AIRCREW FOR FUTURE REF. THIS SIT OCCURS OFTEN; PRIMARILY WITH MIL ACFT ARRIVING FROM THE E AT HIGH SPD FOR RWY 26 AT EL CENTRO. A CAUTION NOTE TO THIS EFFECT IS IN THE ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY; HOWEVER ARRIVING MIL ACFT OFTEN ARE BELOW THE PUBLISHED ALT. RECOMMEND DISALLOWING STRAIGHT-IN VFR ARRS TO RWY 26 AT EL CENTRO. PLACE A BRIEF; PERMANENT COMMENT ON EL CENTRO ATIS TO REMIND ARR ACFT OF HAZARD. PLACE SIGNS NEAR RWYS AND POSTERS IN FBO AND OPS. CONSIDER ESTABLISHING CLASS C AIRSPACE TO COVER BOTH ARPTS WITH EL CENTRO CTLING (THEY HAVE RADAR). POSITIVE CTL OR AWARENESS OF ACFT WOULD GREATLY IMPROVE SAFETY. THERE IS A LARGE MIX OF MIL AND CIVIL ACFT OPERATING IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY. MIL ACFT OFTEN 'SPILL OUT' THE S SIDE OF R-2510 DUE TO BOMB RUN COURSE. AG ACFT OPERATE NORDO AT IPL; USUALLY AGAINST THE TFC FLOW; OFTEN TAKING OFF AND LNDG ON TXWYS AND UNLIT RWYS AT NIGHT. THEY ALWAYS ARRIVE AND DEPART WELL BELOW TFC PATTERN ALT. MANY ACCIDENTS ARE WAITING TO HAPPEN IN THIS AREA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR IS WITH CUSTOMS AND WAS ON A LAW ENFORCEMENT MISSION IN A CITATION. THERE ARE FLIERS ON THE FBO BULLETIN BOARD AT IMPERIAL BUT RPTR DOES NOT KNOW IF ANYTHING IS POSTED AT EL CENTRO. AT TIMES HE FEELS THIS IS A VERY QUESTIONABLE OP FROM THE MIL SIDE. THEY MAKE THE OVERHEAD APCHS AND LET DOWN RIGHT OVER IMPERIAL. RPTR FEELS THERE SHOULD BE AN ESTABLISHED PATTERN AT EL CENTRO AND THE OVERHEAD APCH SHOULD BE ELIMINATED DUE TO THE CLOSE PROX OF THE 2 ARPTS. HE HIMSELF HAD AN NMAC A WHILE BACK WHILE ON GOV BUSINESS. THE AIR GUARD OP DEFIES ALL DESCRIPTION AS THEY FLY AT NIGHT AND FEEL THERE IS NO ONE ELSE AROUND. A VERY POOR SIT.

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