IFR C550 DEPARTING UNCTLED ARPT HAS CLOSE CALL WITH 2 BANNER TOW ACFT.

Date: 2003-08 · Aircraft: Citation II S2/Bravo (C550) · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

IFR C550 DEPARTING UNCTLED ARPT HAS CLOSE CALL WITH 2 BANNER TOW ACFT.

Narrative

AS THE FO AND I WERE HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 32 AT AN UNCTLED ARPT; AWAITING OUR IFR RELEASE; WE NOTICED SEVERAL ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND 2 BANNER TOWING ACFT IN THE DISTANCE NE. WE RECEIVED OUR IFR RELEASE WITH A 2 MIN VOID TIME. FINAL APCH WAS CLR AND WE CALLED ON THE CTAF THAT WE WERE TAKING POS RWY 32. ON THE BACK TAXI WE STILL OBSERVED THE 2 BANNER TOWING ACFT APCHING FROM THE NE. THE AFD STATES THAT AT THIS ARPT THERE IS HVY BANNER TOWING ACTIVITY TO N OF RWY 32/14. THE FIRST BANNER TOWER WAS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT WE WAITED FOR IT TO FLY THE UPWIND; TO THE N OF THE RWY; AND DROP THE BANNER. THAT ACFT THEN PROCEEDED; TO MY SURPRISE; TO TURN A L XWIND AT LOW ALT. AS THAT ACFT PROCEEDED ON THE LOW DOWNWIND FOR RWY 32; THE FO AND I CALLED THAT WE WERE ON THE DEP ROLL RWY 32 SWBOUND. THE SECOND BANNER TOWER AT THE TIME WAS ENTERING AN UPWIND RWY 32 TO THE N SIDE OF THE FIELD. AS WE BROKE GND AND BROUGHT THE GEAR UP WE NOTICED THE SECOND BANNER TOWER; APPARENTLY WITHOUT A RADIO; TURN SLIGHTLY S AND BEGIN CONVERGING WITH OUR DEP PATH. AT ABOUT 300-400 FT AGL WE BEGAN A L TURN AT A 20-30 DEG BANK ANGLE TO AVOID BANNER TOWER #2. OUR JET PASSED ABOUT 400 FT TO THE L OF BANNER TOWER #2 AND ABOUT 600 FT TO THE L OF THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION BANNER TOWER #1. IT WAS A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE FEW MOMENTS. THE COPLT AND I SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEGAN OUR TKOF ROLL AS THE BANNER TOWERS HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AND NO RADIOS AS WE LATER FOUND OUT. OUR DECISION TO TKOF WAS MADE HASTILY FOR SEVERAL REASONS THAT I CAN THINK OF IN RETROSPECT. WE HAD ONLY A 2 MIN VOID TIME FOR OUR IFR RELEASE. IT WAS THE END OF THE DAY AND WERE REPOSITIONING AN EMPTY ACFT HOME. I THINK BOTH THE FO AND I THOUGHT THAT WITH OUR SPD IN THE JET WE WERE EASILY GET OUT IN FRONT OF BANNER TOWER #2 WELL BEFORE IT BECAME A FACTOR. NONE OF THESE FACTORS SHOULD JUSTIFY A TKOF IN THIS SCENARIO AND IT WAS A BAD DECISION TO DO SO. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO RUSH THE TKOF. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CLOSE ENCOUNTER AND APOLOGIZE TO THOSE WHO WERE INVOLVED.

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