A SCHWEIZER 2-32 PLT HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION CLB TO AVOID A BEECHCRAFT DUCHESS TAXIING ON THE RWY.
Synopsis
A SCHWEIZER 2-32 PLT HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION CLB TO AVOID A BEECHCRAFT DUCHESS TAXIING ON THE RWY.
Narrative
ON JUL/XX/96; AT XA35 HRS LCL; I WAS PILOTING AN SW2-32 3 PLACE GLIDER ON A COMMERCIAL TOUR FLT AT BHB. I WAS CARRYING 1 PAX. WX WAS GOOD VFR. WINDS WERE FROM THE WNW. LCL TFC WAS USING RWY 22. THE GLIDER WAS EQUIPPED WITH A HAND-HELD RADIO AND TUNED TO THE ASSIGNED UNICOM FREQ OF 123.0. AS I APCHED THE ARPT FROM THE W AT APPROX 1100 FT AGL; I OBSERVED A BEECHCRAFT DUCHESS; HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 22 ON RWY 35. I XMITTED: 'BAR HARBOR TFC; GLIDER; MID-FIELD XWIND; L TFC RWY 22.' THE DUCHESS WAS TURNED FACING W AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN CLR VIEW. NO OTHER TFC WAS IN THE PATTERN. AS I TURNED CLOSE IN L DOWNWIND AT APPROX 800 FT AGL; THE DUCHESS PLT XMITTED: 'GLIDER; HAVE I GOT TIME TO BACK TAXI AND DEPART BEFORE YOU?' BY NOW I WAS 600-700 FT AGL ON L DOWNWIND AND RESPONDED: 'NEGATIVE; I'M TOO LOW. YOU BETTER HOLD.' THE DUCHESS PLT SEEMED IRRITATED AND STATED 'OK.' APPROX 7-10 SECONDS LATER; I INITIATED A L BASE TURN AT APPROX 400 FT AGL; AIRSPD 90 KTS. I LOOKED L AND OBSERVED THE DUCHESS INITIATING A BACK TAXI DOWN RWY 22 TOWARD ME. I IMMEDIATELY RADIOED 'DUCHESS ON THE ACTIVE AT BAR HARBOR; YOU HAVE A GLIDER ON CLOSE-IN L BASE FOR RWY 22.' THE DUCHESS CONTINUED THE BACK TAXI AS I TURNED A ONE EIGHTH MI FINAL APCH. HE DID NOT RESPOND. I CONTINUED FINAL AND HE CONTINUED TO BACK TAXI AT AN AVERAGE TAXI SPD. I WAS CLRLY VISIBLE. I RETRACTED MY DIVE BRAKES TO INCREASE MY GLIDE AND PASSED DIRECTLY OVERHEAD THE DUCHESS AT APPROX 40 FT AGL; THEN IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED FULL DIVE BRAKES TO AVOID OVERSHOOTING THE GLIDER RAMP TURN OFF. THE POINT WHERE I PASSED OVER THE DUCHESS WAS MY NORMAL TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE GLIDERS OPERATE DAILY OUT OF BHB AND I UNDERSTAND THE DUCHESS PLT IS A LCL AIR TAXI OPERATOR OUT OF BGR. HE REGULARLY LANDS AT BHB. I BELIEVE THIS WAS AN INTENTIONAL INCURSION AS THE DUCHESS PLT INDICATED DISPLEASURE AT HAVING TO HOLD FOR THE GLIDER IN THE PATTERN. POOR ATTITUDE AND JUDGEMENT BY DUCHESS PLT. I HAD NO OTHER VIABLE LNDG OPTIONS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.