SMA PVT PLT MAKES A WRONG RWY APCH AT ABI; BELIEVING THAT THE ACTIVE RWY IS RWY 17R. PROB BEGAN WITH HIS VHF XMITTER OPERATING INTERMITTENTLY AND HAVING ANOTHER ACFT RELAY FOR HIM. ESSENTIALLY; NORAC TFC; DEP T38 FROM RWY 35R CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT FOR HIM.

Date: 1997-06 · Aircraft: Bellanca Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: approach

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SMA PVT PLT MAKES A WRONG RWY APCH AT ABI; BELIEVING THAT THE ACTIVE RWY IS RWY 17R. PROB BEGAN WITH HIS VHF XMITTER OPERATING INTERMITTENTLY AND HAVING ANOTHER ACFT RELAY FOR HIM. ESSENTIALLY; NORAC TFC; DEP T38 FROM RWY 35R CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT FOR HIM.

Narrative

60 MI OUT; I MONITORED APCH CTL AND THE TWR TO FIGURE OUT WHAT RWYS IN USE. I DETERMINED THAT RWY 17R WAS THE ACTIVE DIRECTION AND ASSUMED RWY 17L WOULD ALSO BE ACTIVE. AT CHKPOINT CISCO; I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ABI APCH ON 125.0 WITH NO ANSWER (I COULD HEAR THEM CLRLY). I WAITED 5 MI; THEN TRIED AGAIN WITH NO RESPONSE; WAITED 1 MIN AND TRIED AGAIN. AT THIS TIME ANOTHER ACFT RELAYED THAT I WAS E OF ABI AND APCHING TO LAND ABI. APCH SAID 'SQUAWK XXXX AND IDENT.' I RADIOED THAT MY XPONDER WAS INOP AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO LAND ABI; WHICH WAS RELAYED TO APCH BY THE OTHER ACFT. AT THIS TIME I HEARD APCH CTL SAY; OK I HAVE HIM ON RADAR. AT THIS TIME I BEGAN A DSCNT UNDER THE 4300 FT VEIL HDG TO 6F4. I WAS THINKING AT THIS POINT TO DIVERT BECAUSE OF POOR COMS. AT THIS TIME APCH SAID; 'CONTACT THE TWR ON 120.1.' I FELT THEY WERE GOING TO ACCOMMODATE ME INTO ABI REGARDLESS OF MY POOR COMS. I DECIDED TO NOT DIVERT TO 6F4. I WAS APPREHENSIVE ABOUT DSNDING INTO THE APCH PATTERN; SO I STAYED HIGH AND APCHED THE APCH END OF RWY 17L AND RWY 17R THINKING THAT IF APCH AND I WERE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE THAT ALL APCHING ACFT WOULD BE LNDG UNDER ME. I WAS LOOKING FOR A GREEN LIGHT FROM THE TWR. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AT AN ARPT THAT WAS USING OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO TAKE OFF AND LAND ACFT AND WAS SURPRISED WHEN I SAW A T38 TAKING OFF ON RWY 35R. HE CLBED OUT L; OR E; IN FRONT OF ME. I'M NOT SURE IF IT WAS BEFORE OR AFTER THIS EVENT THAT CTL GAVE ME CLRNC FOR RWY 17R. I LANDED WITHOUT ANY OTHER EVENT ON THE GND. I FOUND THAT A WIRE HAD COME LOOSE ON MY RADIO XMITTER SIDE.

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