SMA X CAME IN CLOSE PROX WITH SMA Y IN TRAFFIC PATTERN AND AFTER LNDG AT AVX. SMA X PLT QUESTIONS ISSUANCES OF CLRNCS BY AVX UNICOM.
Synopsis
SMA X CAME IN CLOSE PROX WITH SMA Y IN TRAFFIC PATTERN AND AFTER LNDG AT AVX. SMA X PLT QUESTIONS ISSUANCES OF CLRNCS BY AVX UNICOM.
Narrative
WE ENTERED THE TFC PATTERN WITH A 45 DEG ENTRY TO A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 22. THE PATTERN WAS BUSY WITH ABOUT 5 OR 6 PLANES IN FRONT OF US. ONCE ESTABLISHED ON DOWNWIND A SMA Y RPTED MIDFIELD AND ENTERING A R DOWNWIND. HE ACTUALLY CUT IN FRONT OF US WHILE ENTERING FROM THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ARPT. MY STUDENT WIDENED HIS PATTERN OUT TO THE L TO GIVE THE SMA Y SOME ROOM. I DIDN'T MENTION ANYTHING ON THE RADIO AS THE FREQ WAS SO BUSY. I DON'T THINK THE SMA Y EVER SAW US; AND IF HE DID; THEN HE PURPOSELY CUT IN FRONT OF US. THE CATALINA UNICOM 'CLRED' THE SMA Y WHEN HE CALLED MIDFIELD; TO LAND W/O GIVING HIM A SEQUENCE. I THINK THEY ALSO TOLD HIM TO ENTER R DOWNWIND TOO. THE SMA Y WAS AT PATTERN ALT WHEN HE RPTED MIDFIELD (HE WAS ACTUALLY PAST THE RWY AND CONVERGING WITH US WHEN HE RPTED MIDFIELD). IF WE DID NOT SEE THE SMA Y IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PRETTY CLOSE; WITHIN 300' LATERALLY EASY. THE SMA Y FLEW AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND (3 MI). I HAD MY STUDENT GRADUALLY SLOW DOWN TO GIVE THE SMA Y SOME ROOM. WE WERE AT 70 KIAS WITH FULL FLAPS ON A TWO MI FINAL. THE SMA Y MUST HAVE SLOWED DOWN EARLY ALSO. AS THE SMA Y WAS ON 1/2 MI FINAL; CATALINA UNICOM 'CLRED' ANOTHER SMALL SINGLE ENG PLANE TO TAXI INTO POS. THE UNICOM DID NOT LET THE PLANE GO UNTIL THE SMA Y WAS ON WHAT LOOKED LIKE A LESS THAN 1/4 MI FINAL DUE TO OTHER DEPARTING OR ARRIVING TFC. I WAS SWEATING THIS A LITTLE. IN THE MEANTIME MORE PLANES WERE ARRIVING IN THE PATTERN. THE SMA Y THEN LANDED BEHIND THE PLANE WHICH WAS CLRED FOR TKOF JUST IN TIME. I'D ESTIMATE A SPACING OF 1000' BTWN THE TWO WHEN THE SMA Y TOUCHED DOWN. THE SMA Y TOUCHED DOWN WELL WITHIN THE FIRST THIRD OF THE RWY (3200' RWY) AND WAS ROLLING OUT WHILE WE WERE ON SHORT FINAL. WE CAUGHT A LITTLE WINDSHEAR WHILE XING THE THRESHOLD AND ADDED SOME PWR TO COMPENSATE. JUST AFTER THIS I NOTICED THE SMA Y AT A LOW SPD APCHING A TXWY (THE LAST ONE BEFORE THE END OF THE RWY). I MADE A JUDGEMENT THAT WE HAD PLENTY OF ROOM AND THAT THE SMA Y WOULD TURN OFF ON THAT TXWY. MY STUDENT THEN LEVELED OFF TOO HIGH AND WE WERE APCHING STALLING SPD. I CAME IN WITH SOME PWR AND HELPED HIM GET THE PLANE DOWN. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN I NOTICED THE SMA Y PROCEEDING TO THE END OF THE RWY AT A VERY SLOW SPD AND APPLIED MODERATE BRAKING FOR A SHORT TIME. WHEN I SAW THAT WE COULD MAKE THE TXWY THAT I HAD ASSUMED THE SMA Y WOULD MAKE; I DISCONTINUED BRAKING. THE TXWY WAS OVER 1000' FROM THE END OF THE RWY. THE SMA Y WAS REACHING THE END OF THE RWY AND TURNING OFF ABOUT THE SAME TIME WE TURNED OFF. THE UNICOM CALLED THE SMA Y AND IN AN EXCITED VOICE TOLD HIM TO CLR THE RWY IMMEDIATELY. I TOLD THE SMA Y THAT THERE WAS NO DANGER FROM US JUST AFTER THE UNICOM'S MESSAGE. THE ONLY THING I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING WAS THAT THE SMA Y PLT NEEDED SOME RECURRENT TRAINING AND THE UNICOM OPERATORS; WHO EXERCISE ALMOST THE SAME CONTROL AS TWR CTLRS; HAD TROUBLE HANDLING ALL THE TFC THAT DAY. ONE OF THE GUYS FROM THE 'TWR' CAME RACING UP TO US IN A VAN AFTER WE SHUT DOWN; AND REQUESTED THE PLT'S LICENSE; NAME AND ADDRESS OF ACFT OWNER; ETC. HE TOLD ME THAT WE LANDED TOO CLOSE BEHIND THE SMA Y AND A SHORT ARGUMENT ENSUED. I HAD ASSUMED THE SMA Y WOULD DO SOMETHING THAT HE DIDN'T (TURN OFF ON THE TXWY); BECAME DISTRACTED; LANDED AND THEN SAW THE SMA Y DOWN THE RWY IN FRONT OF US; I IMMEDIATELY TRIED THE BRAKES AND WOULD HAVE DONE A GO AROUND IF THEY FAILED. I HAD MY STUDENT MAKE WHAT I CONSIDERED ADEQUATE SPACING (THOUGH HE WAS SLOW TO COMPLY) AND WE HAD ENOUGH ROOM FOR SAFETY; THOUGH WE DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH EXCESS ROOM IN THE EVENT OF AN EMER. I THINK THE UNICOM WAS OVERWORKED; AND SHOULD NOT GIVE 'CLRNCS;' ONLY ADVISORIES; THE SMA Y PLT WAS SLOW AND WE COULD HAVE LEFT A LITTLE MORE SPACE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.