GA-SMA GA-SMA CLOSE PROX WHILE LNDG OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
Synopsis
GA-SMA GA-SMA CLOSE PROX WHILE LNDG OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
Narrative
APCHING ARPT; I ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN ARPT ADVISORY ON 123.0 MHZ; THE UNICOM FREQ LISTED ON DETROIT SECTIONAL CHART. OBTAINING NONE; I OBSERVED THAT WIND FAVORED RWY 25; SO I ANNOUNCED MYSELF OVER FIELD; LEFT DOWNWIND; BASE AND FINAL. ON SHORT FINAL; OBSERVING LIGHT TWIN ON LNDG ROLLOUT ON RWY 7; I INITIATED A GO AROUND; AND WAS ADVISED BY LCL FBO THAT FSS AND CTAF USE 123.6; SO I ANNOUNCED ON 123.6 AND PROCEEDED TO NORMAL; BUT DOWNWIND LNDG ON RWY 7. DISCUSSION WITH FSS PERSONNEL FOLLOWING INCIDENT DISCLOSED THAT THIS PROB OCCURS APPROX 4 TIMES DAILY; AND HAS BEEN RPTED BY THEM TO FAA WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. FSS FURTHER ADVISED THAT MANY OF THE ACFT USING 123.0 ARE ALSO COMMERCIAL OR MIL; FLOWN BY HIGHLY EXPERIENCED PLTS. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IN SEVERAL WAYS: 1) PUBLISH THE CTAF IN MAGENTA WITH OTHER ARPT DATA; RATHER THAN WITH THE FSS FREQ. MOST INBND PLTS ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH ADVISING AND MONITORING OTHER ACFT THAN WITH COMMUNICATING WITH FSS. 2) PAINT CTAF FREQ ON THE RAMP; AS IS LCL CUSTOM. 3) FSS COULD MONITOR 123.0 TO ADVISE ACFT THAT 123.6 IS CTAF. 4) WHEN PROVIDING WIND AND TFC INFO TO INBND REQUESTING ACFT; FSS COULD ADVISE 'WIND FAVORING RWY 25; BUT HAVE DEPARTING/LNDG TFC RWY 7;' RATHER THAN 'ACTIVE RWY 7;' (WHICH ENCOURAGES DOWNWIND LNDGS AND DEPS). ALTHOUGH THE SECTIONAL CHART LEGEND AND AIM CLEARLY STATE THAT 123.6 IS CTAF AT FSS ARPTS; TOO MANY OF US PLTS ARE USING THE FREQ GIVEN WITH ARPT DATA RATHER THAN THAT GIVEN WITH THE 'RADIO AIDS TO NAV AND COM' BOX. THE THREAT TO LIFE IS TOO GREAT TO PERPETUATE THIS CONFUSION. (APPARENTLY THIS SITUATION APPEARS AT NUMEROUS PLT-CTLED; FSS-EQUIPPED FIELDS.)
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.