L23 SAILPLANE PILOT REPORTS NMAC WITH TOW PLANE ON SHORT FINAL TO H07.
Synopsis
L23 SAILPLANE PILOT REPORTS NMAC WITH TOW PLANE ON SHORT FINAL TO H07.
Narrative
A PA25 FLEW ALMOST DIRECTLY ABOVE US WHILE ON FINAL. THE PA25 (PAWNEE) WAS DRAGGING A TOW ROPE BEHIND AND WAS IN A R TURN WHEN I SAW HIM. THE TOW ROPE PROBABLY MISSED MY R WING BY ONLY A FEW FT. WE WERE ABOUT 200 FT AGL AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE TOW PLANE EXECUTED A LNDG FOLLOWING THE NEAR MISS. THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE AFTER A 2 HR 'THERMALLING' FLT IN A BLANIK SAILPLANE. I WAS PIC AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND WAS FLYING FROM THE REAR SEAT. A CFI WITH CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE WAS IN THE FRONT SEAT. I SAW THE TOW PLANE AS I ENTERED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 36. IT IS NORMAL PROC FOR THE GLIDERS TO FLY A PATTERN TO THE W OF THE FIELD AND PWR AIRPLANES; NORMALLY JUST THE TOW PLANES; TO FLY THE PATTERN TO THE E. ANYWAY; I SAW THE TOW PLANE ON DOWNWIND TO THE E OF THE ARPT. I CHKED THE TOW PLANE SEVERAL TIMES WHILE ON DOWNWIND. I LAST SAW THE TOW PLANE JUST AFTER I TURNED BASE AND HE APPEARED TO BE CONTINUING ON DOWNWIND. THIS IS THE LAST I SAW OF THE TOW PLANE BEFORE HE PASSED ABOUT 10-15 FT OVER MY R WING WHILE ON FINAL. MY ASSUMPTION; ON SEEING HIM STILL ON DOWNWIND AS I WAS TURNING BASE; WAS THAT HE HAD SEEN ME AND WAS EXTENDING TO GIVE THE GLIDER ROOM TO LAND. APPARENTLY NOT. H07 HAS 2 PARALLEL RWYS. THE E RWY IS NARROW AND IS NORMALLY USED BY PWR PLANES. THE W RWY IS WIDE AND IS USED BY GLIDERS. THERE IS NO DISTANCE BTWN THE RWYS AND AN OBSTRUCTION AT THE S END OF THE GLIDER RWY COMPELS GLIDERS TO HUG THE E SIDE OF THE W RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 747224: THE PA25 PAWNEE TOW PLANE FLEW DIRECTLY OVER US WHILE I WAS FLYING WITH A STUDENT IN THE L23 BLANIK AT HIGHLAND (H07). WE HAD JUST COMPLETED A GREAT 2 HR FLT AND HE WAS FLYING AS PIC IN THE BACK SEAT TO GET SOME EXPERIENCE BACK THERE AND I WAS IN THE FRONT COCKPIT. WE SAW THE TOW PLANE ON DOWNWIND WHILE WE WERE ON BASE LEG; BUT ASSUMING HE SAW US; WE CONTINUED OUR APCH. ALL OF A SUDDEN HE CAME DIRECTLY OVER US NO MORE THAN 15 FT AND WHY THE TOW ROPE DIDN'T SNAG A WING OR AILERON; I WILL NEVER KNOW. AFTER LNDG; I FLAGGED DOWN THE TOW PLT; AND HAD HIM STOP THE ENG TO GET AN EXPLANATION OF HIS ACTIONS. WHEN I CONFRONTED HIM; HIS COMMENT WAS: 'I SAW YOU; BUT I WAS LNDG ON THE RWY AND DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THAT CLOSE.' IT IS MY OPINION THAT HE NEVER SAW US AT ALL SINCE IT WAS AS CLOSE TO A MIDAIR I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. HE IS A HIGH TIME PLT AND CFI; AND I WOULD NEVER EXPECT A PLT WITH HIS EXPERIENCE TO EVER DO SUCH A THING; ESPECIALLY WHEN DRAGGING A TOW ROPE BEHIND HIS AIRPLANE. THE PROC IS FOR THE TOW PLANE TO FLY A PATTERN ON THE E SIDE OF RWY 18-36 (R BASE IN THIS CASE TO RWY 36) AND THE GLIDERS TO FLY A DOWNWIND ON THE W SIDE OF THE RWY FOR A L-HAND BASE LEG. BOTH ACFT FLY TO A FINAL ABOUT THE SAME LOCATION ON FINAL BECAUSE OF A HOUSE AND TREE TO THE L OF THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 36. THEN THE SAILPLANES JOG TO THE L AND LAND ON THE GRASS AREA L OF THE RWY. THE PAWNEE PASSED OVER THE SAILPLANE AND LANDED ON THE RWY WHILE THE SAILPLANE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ON THE GRASS FIELD.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.