PLT IN AN PA-28 AT UAO; AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT; LANDS BEFORE C-172 PLT HAS CLRED THE RWY.
Synopsis
PLT IN AN PA-28 AT UAO; AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT; LANDS BEFORE C-172 PLT HAS CLRED THE RWY.
Narrative
THE PROB I'M REPORTING WAS A RWY INCURSION. THIS WAS NOT THE USUAL ENTRY FROM A TXWY ONTO AN ACTIVE RWY; BUT RATHER LNDG BEFORE THE PRECEDING ACFT HAD CLRED THE RWY. I WAS THE PLT IN ERROR. HERE ARE THE PERTINENT POINTS AS I SEE THEM. THE ACFT PRECEDING ME; WHICH WAS A CESSNA 172; MAY NOT HAVE CLRED THE RWY BEFORE I TOUCHED DOWN. THE REASON I SAY 'MAY' IS THAT I CAN'T BE SURE EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS WHEN I TOUCHED DOWN. I THOUGHT THEY WERE CLR; BUT I WAS CONCENTRATING SO CLOSELY ON MY LNDG THAT I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE EXACTLY THAT THEY HAD CLRED. IF THEY WEREN'T CLR; THEY WERE; HOWEVER; AT OR NEAR THEIR TURN-OFF WHICH WAS THE SEC EXIT TXWY. I ESTIMATE THAT THE SEC TXWY IS ABOUT 2000 FT FROM THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY. ANOTHER PLT TOLD ME ABOUT THE SIT OVER THE RADIO WHILE I WAS STILL ROLLING OUT. THE PLT MAY HAVE BEEN IN AN ACFT FOLLOWING ME IN THE PATTERN OR MAY HAVE BEEN IN THE C172. I HAD A ROLL TO THE NEXT TXWY TO EXIT THE RWY; BECAUSE THE 172 HAD STOPPED IN THEIR EXIT TXWY JUST BEYOND THE HOLD LINE. (THEY HAD NOT PULLED ONTO THE PARALLEL TXWY.) POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: LOW TIME IN TYPE (25.8 HRS) - I'M STILL NOT COMPLETELY ACCUSTOMED TO THE HIGH POWER OFF SINK RATE OF MY PLANE COMPARED TO OTHERS THAT I'VE FLOWN. I PROBABLY TURNED FINAL TOO CLOSE BEHIND THE PRECEDING PLANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAND WITH MINIMUM POWER RATHER THAN 'DRAG IT IN' WITH POWER. POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: THE PLT OF THE PRECEDING PLANE SEEMED TO BE A BIT SLOW CLRING THE RWY. I BELIEVE THE PLT OF THE PRECEDING PLANE MAY HAVE BEEN A STUDENT OR LOW TIME PLT; BECAUSE SHE WAS HAVING A BIT OF TROUBLE HOLDING THE CENTERLINE ON SHORT FINAL (ALL THE MORE REASON I SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED MORE SPACING.) POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: THERE WERE FOUR PLANES; INCLUDING ME; IN THE PATTERN. I WAS TRYING 'TO KEEP IT TIGHT' TO MINIMIZE DELAYS. POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: UNEXPECTED TURBULENCE ON SHORT FINAL. THIS PROVIDED AN ADDITIONAL DISTRACTION THAT CAUSED ME TO OVERLY FOCUS ON MY LNDG AND TO LOSE AWARENESS OF THE TOTAL SIT. I BECAME FIXATED ON LNDG. I HAD ONLY ONE ALTERNATIVE IN MIND: LNDG; NOT TWO: LNDG OR GOING AROUND IN RETROSPECT; I DIDN'T LEAVE A LARGE ENOUGH MARGIN IN CASE THE PLANE AHEAD DIDN'T EXECUTE HER LNDG WELL; AND I DID NOT KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING IN THE LNDG ENVIRONMENT. WHILE THE PRECEDING PLANE DID CLR THE RWY WELL BEFORE I WAS CLOSE TO THEM; BY NOT RECOGNIZING THE SIT AND GOING AROUND; I TOOK AWAY A LOT OF MARGIN FOR SAFETY. SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED: GO AROUND IF I LOOKS LIKE THE RWY AND TXWYS WILL NOT BE COMPLETELY CLR PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. SPACE OUT THE APCH TO LEAVE PLENTY OF ROOM FOR PRECEDING TFC TO LAND AND COMPLETELY EXIT THE RWY. ALWAYS KEEP THE POSSIBILITY OF GOING AROUND IN MIND. SCAN THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENT FOR REASONS TO NOT LAND. BE ALERT FOR STUDENT PLTS; GIVE THEM EXTRA ROOM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE PATTERN WAS RATHER TIGHT WHICH CAUSE HIM TO TURN TOWARD THE RWY SOONER THAN WAS COMFORTABLE. HE SAID THE ARPT IS USED BY A LOT OF STUDENT PLTS TO PRACTICE LNDGS AND TKOFS. THEY SIGN UP TO USE AN ACFT FOR AN HR AND WATCH THE HOBBS METER TO GET IN AS MANY APCHS AS POSSIBLE IN AN HR.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.