PLT OF A PIPER PA18 JUST MISSED COLLIDING WITH A BOAT DURING TKOF RUN ON A CANADIAN LAKE DUE TO THE RPTR'S FORWARD VISION BEING BLOCKED BY THE ACFT'S HIGH NOSE ATTITUDE.

Date: 2000-07 · Aircraft: PA-18/19 Super Cub · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|other-see-and-avoid

Synopsis

PLT OF A PIPER PA18 JUST MISSED COLLIDING WITH A BOAT DURING TKOF RUN ON A CANADIAN LAKE DUE TO THE RPTR'S FORWARD VISION BEING BLOCKED BY THE ACFT'S HIGH NOSE ATTITUDE.

Narrative

3 ACFT DEPARTING AT THE SAME TIME; A COMMERCIAL C185; AN EXPERIMENTAL GLASTAR; AND US. WE HAD WITNESSED A C185 MAKE SEVERAL TKOF ATTEMPTS; BUT DUE TO HIGH ALT LAKE; AND DEAD CALM CONDITIONS; HE WAS UNABLE TO GET ON THE STEP. WE WERE NOT HEAVILY LOADED; BUT STILL CONCERNED ABOUT OUR TKOF PERFORMANCE ON THE CALM WATER. WE TAXIED OUT TO THE MAIN ARM OF THE LAKE; BEHIND THE OTHER 2 ACFT. THE C185 BEGAN HIS TKOF RUN AS I TURNED UP LAKE; AND CLRED MY PATH. THE GLASTAR WAS IN FRONT OF ME; AND I THINK HE BLOCKED MY VIEW OF A BOAT. THE GLASTAR BEGAN HIS RUN; AND I FOLLOWED. I VEERED L EARLY IN THE TKOF RUN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WAKES LEFT BY THE OTHER 2 ACFT. WITH THE NOSE UP; I COULDN'T SEE FORWARD FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS OR MORE; INSTEAD LOOKED OUT THE L FRONT AS I AM ACCUSTOMED TO FLYING A SIDE-BY-SIDE ACFT; AND THAT WAS THE WAY I WAS INITIALLY TURNING. AS THE NOSE BEGAN TO COME DOWN; I CAUGHT A FLASH OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE TO THE R. I ASKED THE GUY IN THE BACK SEAT WHAT IT WAS. HE LOOKED BACK AND SAW A FISHING BOAT WITH 2 VERY UNHAPPY PEOPLE IN IT. NO CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE BOAT OR ITS OCCUPANTS; FORTUNATELY; BUT LOTS OF ADRENALINE FLOWED. I THINK ONE OF THE ACFT IN FRONT OF ME BLOCKED MY VIEW OF THE BOAT WHEN I ORIGINALLY CLRED MY TKOF PATH. WHEN I VEERED TO THE L; HAD I LOOKED OUT THE R WINDOW; I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SEEN THE BOAT AND GIVEN IT A WIDE BERTH. HABIT OF FLYING A SIDE-BY-SIDE ACFT PREVENTED ME FROM DOING THAT. THE CUB IS ACTUALLY A SAFER ACFT ON WATER BECAUSE OF ITS RELATIVELY BETTER VISIBILITY THAN A SIDE-BY-SIDE CONFIGN. I JUST WASN'T SMART ENOUGH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT BECAUSE OF PRIOR EXPERIENCE -- HABIT PATTERNS.

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