PLT OF A C150 ON APCH AND LNDG AT A NON TWR ARPT UNICOM HAS CLOSE PROX TO ACFT READY TO DEPART OPPOSITE DIRECTION RWY.

Date: 1998-07 · Aircraft: Cessna 150

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|other-unspecified

Synopsis

PLT OF A C150 ON APCH AND LNDG AT A NON TWR ARPT UNICOM HAS CLOSE PROX TO ACFT READY TO DEPART OPPOSITE DIRECTION RWY.

Narrative

MY PLT FRIEND AND I WERE GOING TO DELAWARE ARPT; 33N; TO WORK ON OUR HOME-BUILT. WHEN APPROX 1 MI FROM THE ARPT; I SPOTTED A HELI JUST ABOVE THE TREE TOPS ON THE RWY 27 DOWNWIND SIDE HEADING IN THE DOWNWIND DIRECTION. I TOLD MY FRIEND TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE HELI WHILE I CHKED THE WINDSOCK TO SEE WHAT RWY I SHOULD USE. BOTH WINDSOCKS AND THE FLAG AT THE FBO WERE INDICATING RWY 27 WAS THE RWY TO USE. I THEN RPTED ENTERING DOWNWIND FOR RWY 27 ON THE UNICOM FREQ 123.0. THE ARPT IS UNCTLED AND THE FREQ IS 123.0. AS I WAS TRAVELING DOWNWIND ON RWY 27; THE HELI HAD CLBED TO APPROX 800 FT AND LOOKED AS IF HE WAS TURNING BASE LEG. WHEN I REACHED THE CORRECT POS; I CALLED L BASE LEG ON THE RADIO. I STILL HEARD NOTHING FROM THE HELI. WHILE ON BASE LEG; I NOTICED ANOTHER ACFT ABOUT 2 MI OUT AND IT LOOKED AS IF IT MAY BE ON FINAL FOR RWY 27. AFTER WATCHING; MY PLT FRIEND AND I CONCLUDED HE WAS TURNING AWAY SO I CONTINUED WITH MY BASE LEG. I STILL HAD HEARD NOTHING AND WAS WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THE HELI WAS DOING. AT THIS TIME THE HELI PASSED THROUGH FINAL LEG FOR RWY 27 AND WENT ACROSS. KNOWING MOST HELIS AROUND HERE USE A R HAND PATTERN; I WAS WORRIED HE WAS GOING TO TURN AND LAND ON RWY 27. HE WAS OCCUPYING MY ATTN PRETTY MUCH AT THIS TIME. I STILL HAD HEARD NOTHING ON MY RADIO. I CALLED FINAL LEG FOR RWY 27 WHEN I CONCLUDED THE HELI WASN'T LNDG AT THAT MOMENT. I NEVER HEARD CONFIRMATION HE HAD HEARD ME. JUST BEFORE I LANDED I NOTICED A TOMAHAWK TURNING OFF THE RWY. MY PAX COMMENTED THAT HE MUST HAVE HURRIED TO CROSS THE RWY BEFORE WE GOT THERE. NEITHER MY PAX OR I SAW THE TOMAHAWK PRIOR TO ITS TURNING. AFTER LNDG AND ON ROLLOUT; I NOTICED A TRAINER ON THE RWY 9 RUN-UP AREA; AND I COMMENTED TO MY FRIEND THAT THEY SHOULD BE USING RWY 27 AS THE WIND FAVORED IT; AND AT OUR UNCTLED ARPT THE WINDSOCK AND FLAG ARE THE ONLY VISUAL INDICATION OF WHAT RWY TO USE. I TAXIED TO MY DEST AND SHUT MY ACFT DOWN. MY FRIEND AND I GOT OUT AND NOTICED THE TRAINER PULLING UP WHERE I WAS; AND AN INSTRUCTOR GOT OUT AND HOLLERED AT ME FOR NOT USING MY RADIO AND I HAD FORCED A STUDENT THAT LANDED ON RWY 9 TO LEAVE THE RWY EARLY. UPON DISCUSSION WITH ME; I TOLD THE INSTRUCTOR THIS IS AN UNCTLED ARPT AND THE WINDSOCKS AND FLAG WERE INDICATING RWY 27 WAS THE ONE TO USE. HE ADMITTED HEARING MY CALLS ON DOWNWIND; BASE; AND FINAL LEGS; AND SAID HE KEPT CALLING ME TO NOT LAND; THEY WERE USING RWY 9. I SAID I HEARD NOTHING ON MY RADIO AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY TURNED DOWN; BECAUSE SHORTLY BEFORE GETTING TO 33N I HAD BEEN MONITORING AN AWOS STATION AT SUMMIT ARPT ON 132.32. I TURNED MY PWR ON AND TURNED MY RADIO ON AND THE PRIMARY FREQ SHOWED 123.0 AND THE SECONDARY SHOWED 132.32. HE AGREED AND SAID IT MUST HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY TURNED DOWN; BUT I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE TOMAHAWK LNDG. I SAID I CALLED AND RECEIVED NO ANSWER CONTRARY AND THE WIND BY ALL INDICATIONS SHOWED RWY 27 AS THE RWY AND MY ATTN HAD BEEN DIVERTED BY THE HELI AND THE PLANE OUT ON FINAL FOR RWY 27. THE PLANE WE THOUGHT WAS ON FINAL WAS TURNING AWAY. I THEN ASKED IF THEY HEARD ME CALL DOWNWIND; BASE AND FINAL FOR RWY 27 WHY DIDN'T THEY STOP LNDG PLANES TILL THEY ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH ME. THANKFULLY NOTHING HAPPENED; NO ACCIDENT; NO INJURIES; NO DAMAGE; BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD. THIS FLT SCHOOL JUST MOVED TO DELAWARE ARPT RECENTLY AND THEY FEEL 33N IS THEIR ARPT AND THEY WILL MAKE THE RULES. EVERYONE INVOLVED HERE WAS REMISS. ME FOR NOT CHKING MY RADIO WHEN I HEARD NOTHING; THE FLT SCHOOL FOR NOT STOPPING THEIR STUDENTS WHEN THEY COULD NOT ESTABLISH COMS WITH ME AND THE HELI PLT FOR RANDOMLY FLYING AT THE ARPT.

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