2006-05 · NASA ASRS report 697201
PLT OF PIPER MALIBU P46T TAKES EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID HELI MAKING UNANNOUNCED TOUCH-AND-GOES AT UNCTLED ARPT.
PRIOR TO TAXI; I MADE A BROADCAST ON THE JACK EDWARDS CTAF (122.70) THAT MY ACFT WAS TAXIING TO RWY 9 FOR DEP. THE ACFT WAS THEN TAXIED TO THE HOLD SHORT LINE OF RWY 9. NIGHT VMC PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND THE ACFT'S NAV LIGHTS; TAXI LIGHTS; AND LNDG LIGHT WERE ON. AS REQUESTED; PRIOR TO DEP; PNS CLRNC AS CONTACTED ON 124.55 AND ADVISED THAT THE ACFT WAS READY TO DEPART. THE CTLR RELEASED OUR ACFT AND CLRED US UP TO 3000 FT ON AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 050 DEGS. THE CTLR ADVISED THAT THERE WAS ONE TARGET AT 500 FT IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT. I THEN BROADCAST OUR POS OVER THE CTAF. THE ACFT WAS SLOW MOVING AND LOW AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE AN APCH TO THE RWY AND LANDED. AT THIS POINT THE ACFT WAS RECOGNIZED AS A HELI. AFTER A BRIEF MOMENT ON THE RWY; THE HELI LIFTED OFF AND TURNED N. AT THIS POINT; I TAXIED MY ACFT ONTO RWY 9 AND ANNOUNCED OUR DEP OVER THE CTAF. AS IT WAS NIGHT; I HAD TURNED ON ALL AVAILABLE EXTERNAL LIGHTS ON THE ACFT (NAV LIGHT; PULSATING RECOGNITION LIGHTS; LNDG LIGHT; AND STROBES). AS I ROTATED THE AIRPLANE; I OBSERVED THE ACFT MAKE A TURN FOR THE RWY FOR LNG ON THE OPPOSITE END OF RWY 9. TO PREVENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A HEAD-ON COLLISION; I MADE A L-HAND TURN TOWARD THE NE. THE PAX ON BOARD MY PLANE ESTIMATED THE OTHER ACFT TO BE 500-1000 FT FROM OUR AIRPLANE. ATC WOULD LATER INFORM US THAT THE HELI WAS MIL AND THAT THAT PLT CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN MONITORING AND BROADCASTING ON THE CTAF AT JACK EDWARDS. NOBODY IN OUR ACFT EVER HEARD ANY RADIO CALLS AND NO RESPONSE FROM THE HELI WAS OBSERVED AFTER WE ISSUED OUR POS/INTENTION RPTS. ATC INFORMED US THAT THE HELI RPTED SEEING ONLY THE NAV LIGHTS ON OUR ACFT; DESPITE OUR ACFT STROBES; RECOGNITION LIGHTS; NAVS AND LNDG BEING ON DURING TKOF.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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