A PA-28-151 PLT EXPERIENCED SEVERE PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORT WHICH DISTR HIM FROM PROPERLY ENTERING THE PATTERN AT F70.

Date: 2003-07 · Aircraft: PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior · Phase: approach

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

A PA-28-151 PLT EXPERIENCED SEVERE PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORT WHICH DISTR HIM FROM PROPERLY ENTERING THE PATTERN AT F70.

Narrative

I HAD FLOWN UP THE COAST FROM GILLESPIE FIELD VIA OCEANSIDE VOR. MY PLANNED DEST WAS LONG BEACH ARPT; BUT AS THERE WERE SOME MARINE LAYER CLOUDS BELOW ME; I WAS CONCERNED THAT THEY MIGHT INTERFERE WITH A VFR APCH TO LONG BEACH. SO; I CHANGED MY DEST TO FRENCH VALLEY ARPT INSTEAD. I USED EL TORO; PARADISE AND HOMELAND VORS FOR NAV AND SOON WAS IN SIGHT OF FRENCH VALLEY. AT THIS POINT; I BEGAN TO FEEL A SEVERE ATTACK OF DIARRHEA; APPARENTLY FROM SOMETHING I HAD EATEN; AND WAS VERY ANXIOUS TO LAND AND GET TO A BATHROOM BEFORE 'MAKING A MESS.' I DSNDED QUICKLY FROM 5500 FT AND DETERMINED THAT THE SURFACE WIND WAS FROM 200 DEGS AT 10 KTS. I MADE THE CORRECT ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE ACTIVE RWY 18 AND THEN ENTERED THE L DOWNWIND PATTERN FOR RWY 36. 1 OR 2 OTHER ACFT WERE ON THE RADIO; ONE ANNOUNCING THAT IT WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 18. I LOOKED TO MY L BUT DIDN'T SEE THE LNDG ACFT; BUT I DID SEE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN ACFT MOVING N ON THE RWY; WHICH REINFORCED ME IN MY ERROR. I ANNOUNCED AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND TO ENSURE SEPARATION FROM THE LNDG ACFT. I THEN TURNED BASE; THEN TURNED FINAL AT ABOUT 3 MI; STILL NOT SUSPECTING THAT I WAS GOING OPPOSITE TO THE TFC; MY PHYSICAL DISTRESS APPARENTLY DISTRACTING ME FROM DOING SO. AT ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE RWY; I SPOTTED THE NUMBERS AND REALIZED MY ERROR. I THEN TURNED TO THE R TO CLB TO THE CORRECT PATTERN AND HEARD A CALL 'YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY;' THEN SAW AN ACFT THAT HAD JUST DEPARTED THE RWY; NOW HIGH AND TO THE R. SEEING THAT HE WAS WELL TO MY R; AND THAT MAINTAINING MY R TURN WOULD BRING ME CLOSER TO HIM; I REVERSED MY BANK TO THE L; HAVING PLENTY OF TIME. ALTHOUGH WE WERE NOT ON A COLLISION COURSE; PARTLY DUE TO THE WIND (HE WAS DRIFTING EASTWARD WITH IT AND I WAS COMPENSATING FOR IT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IN ORDER TO LAND). THE PERSON ON THE COMS OF THE OTHER PLANE SEEMED PANICKY; SHOUTING 'TURN L; TURN L.' I ACKNOWLEDGED THEIR CALLS AND CONTINUED CLBING OUT TO THE W; AND THEN AT ABOVE 3000 FT; I TURNED BACK E AND CROSSED MIDFIELD TO ENTER THE CORRECT PATTERN DIRECTION. WHILE APCHING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION CLEARLY CREATED A DANGEROUS SIT; THE FACT IS THAT WE WERE FORTUNATELY NOT ON A COLLISION COURSE. EVEN IF NO ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN AT ALL; WE WOULD NOT HAVE COME WITHIN 1000 FT OF EACH OTHER. ON ANALYZING MY ACTIONS OVER AND OVER; I CAN ONLY ASCRIBE MY ERROR TO THE COMBINATION OF COMING INTO THIS ARPT FROM THE NE RATHER THAN FROM THE SW AS I USUALLY DO; FROM WHICH I HABITUALLY DROP DIRECTLY INTO THE PATTERN ON THE 45 DEG; AND THE DISTR OF MY DIARRHEA CRAMPS. LIKEWISE I WOULD GUESS THAT THE ACFT THAT I THOUGHT I SAW GOING N ON THE RWY MUST HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN ON THE TXWY. I WAS NOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE OTHER ACFT TO IDENT THE TYPE OR MAKE OUT THE NUMBERS (EXCEPT THAT IT WAS A SINGLE ENG HIGH WING); AND AS THERE WERE NO FURTHER XMISSIONS FROM THEM; I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET AN IDENT OR TO APOLOGIZE AND EXPLAIN. I HAVE READ MANY NTSB ACCIDENT RPTS AND IT IS CLR THAT EVEN UNDER TWR CTL; SEVERAL SMALL ERRORS CAN CREATE A SIT. AT A NON TWR ARPT; IT TAKES ONLY 1 ERROR. THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS ERROR HAS MADE ME VERY AWARE THAT WE CANNOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE DISTR; EVEN UNDER SUCH 'EMBARRASSING' CIRCUMSTANCES; A MESS BEING PREFERABLE TO A COLLISION.

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