A PIPER ARCHER PLT RPTS ON A NON SAFE OP RESULTING IN A TFC CONFLICT AT 1N7; AN UNCTLED FIELD.

Date: 2004-01 · Aircraft: PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior · Phase: landing

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

A PIPER ARCHER PLT RPTS ON A NON SAFE OP RESULTING IN A TFC CONFLICT AT 1N7; AN UNCTLED FIELD.

Narrative

ON JAN/THU/04; I FLEW WITH A FRIEND OUT TO 1N7 (BLAIRSTOWN; NJ) IN HIS PIPER ARCHER. THIS UNCTLED ARPT HAS ONE RWY 7/25. WE CALLED FOR AN ARPT ADVISORY ON THE CTAF AND WERE TOLD BY A CESSNA PLT THE WIND WAS CALM AND HE WAS DEPARTING RWY 25. AS WE WERE APCHING FROM THE NE I SUGGESTED WE MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 25; AND ANNOUNCED OUR INTENTION ON CTAF AT 6 MI FROM THE FIELD; AND THEN AGAIN AT 3 MI. NOT SEEING OR HEARING ANYONE ELSE IN THE PATTERN WE LANDED AND ROLLED OUT TO THE END OF THE RWY. JUST BEFORE TURNING OFF ON THE LAST TXWY MY FRIEND POINTED TO AN ACFT XING THE THRESHOLD ON SHORT FINAL FOR THE OPPOSITE RWY 7. AT THIS I TOOK CTL AND RACED THE ENG TO EXPEDITE OUR CLRING THE RWY. ONCE WE WERE OFF ON THE TXWY I ASKED ON THE FREQ IF HE (THE ACFT JUST LNDG) HAD SEEN THE OTHER AIRPLANE ON THE RWY (US). THE RESPONSE WAS A CURT 'WHAT RWY?' JUST THEN I REALIZED HE HAD LANDED IN THE GRASS NEXT TO RWY 7. I THEN REPLIED 'MY MISTAKE; I THOUGHT YOU WERE LNDG ON THE RWY.' TO THIS HE REPLIED 'KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU SAY SOMETHING.' I DIDN'T JUSTIFY THIS WITH A REPLY; AND WE TAXIED OFF TO PARKING. AFTER SITTING AND DISCUSSING WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED WE WENT INSIDE TO USE THE RESTROOM AND THEN WALKED BACK OUTSIDE TO THE AIRPLANE. AS IT TURNED OUT THE OBNOXIOUS VOICE ON THE FREQ WAS A GLIDER TOW PLT JUST RETURNING FROM A TOW AND WAS JUST THEN HOOKING UP TO TOW ANOTHER GLIDER ALOFT. AT THE SAME TIME A SECOND ACFT; A PIPER ARROW WAS TAXIING OUT TO RWY 25 FOR TKOF. BOTH ACFT DEPARTED SHORTLY AFTER. A FEW MINS LATER WE WATCHED THE ARROW MAKE A LOW APCH DOWN RWY 25 AT ABOUT 100 FT. AS HE STARTED A CLBING TURN AT THE END OF THE RWY WE SAW THE TOW PLANE ON SHORT FINAL FOR THE OPPOSITE RWY AT APPROX THE SAME ALT AS THE ARROW; WHO TURNED AWAY. THE TOW PLANE LANDED IN THE GRASS NEXT TO RWY 7 AND TAXIED BACK TO THE SOARING SCHOOL. THE ARROW LANDED A FEW MINS LATER. AS WE SAT IN THE AIRPLANE EATING; THE ARROW PLT WALKED OVER BY US TO LOOK AT A PARKED MOONEY AND TO SAY HELLO. I ASKED IF HE'D SEEN THE TOW PLANE ON FINAL FOR RWY 7 AND HE REPLIED THAT HE HAD AND IT HAD SCARED HIS WIFE WHO WAS SITTING NEXT TO HIM. SOON AFTER THIS WE TOOK OFF TO GO HOME. I DON'T RECALL HEARING THE TOW PLANE ANNOUNCE HIS LNDG IN THE GRASS WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED; BUT HE DID SHORTLY AFTER WE ANNOUNCED OUR DEP OFF RWY 25.

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