1999-10 · NASA ASRS report 453980
A REGIONAL JET FLC HAD 2 NMACS ON APCH TO HPN.
ON APCH TO WHITE PLAINS; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO JOIN THE LOC TO RWY 16 AT 5000 FT. THE CTLR ALSO INFORMED US THAT WE WOULD BE OVERTAKING A CESSNA AHEAD AT 3000 FT THAT WAS ALREADY ON THE APCH. WITH THIS IN MIND; I KEPT OUR SPD AT 250 KTS IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE OVERTAKE. AT APPROX 10 MI OUT AND PAST THE CESSNA; WE WERE CLRED TO 3000 FT AND TOLD TO CALL THE FIELD; WHEN ABLE; FOR A VISUAL APCH. NOTICING THAT WE WERE WITHIN 5 MI OF THE OM (ILS RWY 16 HAS A PUBLISHED XING ALT OF 2000 FT MSL AT THE OM); I DEPLOYED THE FLT SPOILERS AND SELECTED A 2500 FPM DSCNT IN ORDER TO HUSTLE DOWN. WHILE STILL IN THE DSCNT TO 3000 FT AND AS WE APCHED THE OM; THE CTLR ASKED IF WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT YET AND; AFTER WE ANSWERED NEGATIVELY; HE CLRED US TO 2000 FT AND TOLD US TO SLOW TO OUR FINAL APCH SPD. AT SOME POINT INSIDE THE OM; LEVELING AT 2000 FT AND SHOWING HIGH ON THE GS; THE CTLR AGAIN ASKED IF WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT; AS HE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO BREAK US OFF FOR ANOTHER APCH IF WE DIDN'T HAVE IT. AS THE FO WAS IN MID XMISSION WITH A NEGATIVE RESPONSE; THE RWY CAME INTO SIGHT SO WE CALLED IT. AFTER INQUIRING AS TO WHETHER WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET DOWN OK (I RESPONDED AFFIRMATIVELY AS I FELT IT WAS SAFE SINCE WE WERE CONFIGURING AND SLOWING); THE CTLR CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 16 STATING THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS VFR TARGETS IN THE PATTERN AT WHITE PLAINS AND TOLD US TO CONTACT TWR. JUST AS MY FO WAS CHKING IN WITH THE TWR; AND AS WE WERE PASSING THROUGH 1200 FT; I SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SINGLE ENG; LOW WING PIPER AT OUR 12 - 12:30 O'CLOCK POS; LESS THAN 1 MI AWAY FLYING SLIGHTLY FROM OUR R TO L EITHER JOINING FINAL OR FLYING THE LOC. NOT KNOWING THE ACFT'S INTENTIONS; I MADE AN IMMEDIATE R TURN WHILE TELLING THE FO TO INFORM THE TWR THAT WE WERE IN A TURN TO THE W. WHILE IN THE TURN AND LEVEL AT 1200 FT; WE PASSED 300 FT BELOW ANOTHER SINGLE ENG ACFT THAT I PRESUME WAS ON A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 11. WE CLEANED UP THE ACFT; WERE GIVEN VECTORS BACK AROUND FOR AN ILS RWY 16 AND INFORMED THE PAX AS TO THE REASON FOR THE GAR. INCIDENTALLY; ON THE REPEAT APCH WE DID NOT VISUALLY SEE THE FIELD UNTIL 3.5 DME ON THE ILS AND; WHILE ON THE GS; WE PASSED 300 FT BELOW AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND ANOTHER SINGLE ENG ACFT ON A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 11. IN HINDSIGHT; MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS EVENT WERE: 1) STAYING TOO FAST FOR TOO LONG. 2) NOT ACCEPTING THE CTLR'S OFFER TO BREAK IT OFF WHEN HE OFFERED AS WE WERE HIGH AND FAST WHICH DROPPED US RIGHT INTO THE VFR TFC IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 11. I FEEL THE CTLR'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS EVENT WERE: 1) CONTINUALLY FISHING FOR US TO CALL THE FIELD WHEN THE VISIBILITY WAS MARGINAL. 2) CONTINUALLY FISHING FOR A VISUAL APCH BECAUSE; IN MY OPINION; HE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO HAVE SEPARATION PROBS IF HE CLRED US FOR THE ILS. (PROBS THAT LATER MATERIALIZED FOR US!) 3) NOT SPECIFICALLY NOTIFYING US OF THE ACFT AHEAD; WHETHER HE KNEW ITS INTENTIONS OR NOT. IN CLOSING; I FEEL IT IS NECESSARY TO SAY THAT IF ATC AND THIS ARPT CONTINUE TO RUN HPN IN THIS MANNER; IT IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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