A C175 GLIDER TOW PLT LANDS WITH ANOTHER ACFT ON AN INTERSECTING RWY.

Date: 2003-11 · Aircraft: Skylark 175

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|less-severe|ground-incursion-runway

Synopsis

A C175 GLIDER TOW PLT LANDS WITH ANOTHER ACFT ON AN INTERSECTING RWY.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING AS THE GLIDER TOW PLT FOR THE DAY AT THIS UNCTLED ARPT. BECAUSE OF ARPT REGS; THE GLIDER OPS USE RWY 21/03 EXCLUSIVELY; ALTHOUGH RWYS 31/13 ARE THE GENERALLY PREFERRED RWYS; WITH RWY 31 BEING ACTIVE ON SATURDAY. THE GLIDER OPS WERE FROM RWY 21. I HAD COMPLETED A TOW AND ENTERED A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 21. THERE WAS A C152 MAKING TOUCH-AND-GOES ON RWY 31. AS I RPTED DOWNWIND RWY 21; HE RPTED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 31. WE TRY TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS; SO I LET HIM KNOW THAT I WAS GOING TO EXTEND MY DOWNWIND; SO HE COULD DO A TOUCH AND GO BEFORE ME. I EXTENDED; AND AFTER HE RPTED BASE; I TURNED AND RPTED BASE. HE RPTED FINAL; AND I TURNED FINAL. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT AS A STUDENT; HE WAS MAKING EXCESSIVELY WIDE PATTERNS. AT ANY RATE; AS I APCHED; I REALIZED THAT HE WAS GOING TO LAND ABOUT THE SAME TIME I WAS. I CONSIDERED GOING AROUND; BUT AS I WAS DRAGGING THE TOWLINE; I FELT THAT THERE WAS A RISK OF INTERFERING WITH HIM ON HIS TKOF. ACCORDINGLY; I CHOSE TO LAND ON RWY 21. THE GEOMETRY OF THE ARPT IS THAT RWY 31/13 INTERSECTS WITH RWY 21 AT ABOUT THE LAST 1/4 OF RWY 21; AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ME TO STOP WELL SHORT OF RWY 31. I SUSPECT HE NEVER KNEW THAT A SIT EXISTED. HOWEVER; IF I HAD A BRAKE FAILURE; OR ANY ONE OF SEVERAL OTHER POSSIBLE MECHANICAL PROBS; THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A CONFLICT. I WILL; IN FUTURE EVENTS; GO AHEAD AND DO A 360 DEGS IF THERE IS ANY QUESTION OF A CONFLICT WITH TFC ON RWY 31. WE USUALLY COEXIST WITH EASE AND ZERO CONFLICTS; BUT I CUT THIS ONE TOO CLOSE. IT IS LIKELY THAT I AM THE ONLY PERSON WHO NOTICED THIS NEAR CONFLICT; BUT I DID NOTICE IT. I HAVE ALSO DISCUSSED THIS WITH OTHER GLIDER TOW PLTS.

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