INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT IN C152 TURN DOWNWIND LEG ABOUT THE SAME TIME A C401 ALSO TURNS DOWNWIND AT A HIGHER ALT.

Date: 2002-09 · Aircraft: Cessna 152 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-no-tfc-advisory

Synopsis

INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT IN C152 TURN DOWNWIND LEG ABOUT THE SAME TIME A C401 ALSO TURNS DOWNWIND AT A HIGHER ALT.

Narrative

WHILE ON A LCL TRAINING FLT; I INSTRUCTED MY STUDENT TO LAND AT DANBURY. WE WERE PRESENTLY CLBING OUT OF THE WESTCHESTER ARPT TFC PATTERN. DANBURY'S VICTOR WAS RPTING A LIGHT W WIND; 10 SM VISIBILITY; AND RWY 26 AS THE ACTIVE. WE (THE STUDENT) MADE HIS INITIAL CONTACT 7-10 SM SW AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO ENTER THE L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 26. AT THIS TIME; 2 ACFT WERE ON FINAL (A LUSCOMBE AND ANOTHER ACFT) AND AN ARCHER ON A R BASE. WE MADE OUR INITIAL CONTACT TO TWR AT APPROX XA00 SEP/MON/02. WHILE WE WERE FLYING TOWARDS DANBURY A TWIN CESSNA RPTED W OF THE FIELD FOR LNDG AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 26. TWR DID NOT ADVISE OUR PLANE OR THE TWIN CESSNA OF EACH OTHER. WE CONTINUED INBOUND AND TURNED OUR DOWNWIND. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE TWIN CESSNA ANNOUNCED HIS ENTRY INTO THE DOWNWIND. WE CONTINUED INBOUND AND TURNED OUR BASE. MIDWAY THROUGH OUR BASE; TWR INSTRUCTED US TO TURN BACK ONTO THE DOWNWIND. AS WE MADE A R TURN TO REJOIN THE DOWNWIND; THE TWIN CESSNA WAS ON HIS BASE LEG SEVERAL HUNDRED FT ABOVE US AND TO OUR 10-11 O'CLOCK POS. DURING THIS TIME THE TWR WAS MAKING SEVERAL RADIO CALLS; MISTAKING CALL SIGNS BTWN ACFT; AND MISTAKING ACFT POS. WE CONTINUED ON A SBOUND HDG UNTIL ALL OTHER ACFT AND ACFT POS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR. WE WERE THEN INSTRUCTED TO TURN OUR BASE. THE TIME OF OUR CLOSE CALL WAS XB15. I BELIEVE IF THE TWR HAD INSTRUCTED US TO CONTINUE OUR DOWNWIND TO LET THE TWIN CESSNA TURN HIS BASE AHEAD OF US OR HAVE US CONTINUE OUR BASE AND RE-ENTER THE PATTERN ON THE UPWIND TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE FASTER TFC; THE POTENTIAL FOR A CLOSE CALL WOULD HAVE BEEN AVERTED. WE (MYSELF AND THE STUDENT) COULD HAVE ALSO REFUSED THE TWR'S INSTRUCTION TO TURN BACK ONTO THE DOWNWIND KNOWING THAT FASTER TFC WAS FOLLOWING US.

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