HELICOPTER FLEW IN FRONT OF AN SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN LTT-COMMUTER ON SHORT FINAL.

Date: 1988-10 · Aircraft: Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

HELICOPTER FLEW IN FRONT OF AN SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN LTT-COMMUTER ON SHORT FINAL.

Narrative

WE WERE DOING THE VISUAL APCH INTO LGB RWY 30. ABOUT 2-3 MI OUT WE HEARD A HELI CALL INBND FOR LNDG. AFTER THE HELI RPTED US IN SIGHT HE WAS CLRED TO LAND AT XYZ RAMP (I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHERE) AT PLT'S OWN RISK. ABOUT THIS TIME I SPOTTED HIM AHEAD AND TO MY LEFT. WE WERE NOW ABOUT 1 MI FINAL. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE AS WE APCHED THE THRESHOLD THE HELI CROSSED IN FRONT OF US AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 200-300 MSL. THIS ELIMINATED ANY OPTION WE HAD TO MAKE A GO AROUND. IF WE HAD ATTEMPTED A GO AROUND OUR CHANCES OF NOT HITTING THE HELI WERE ABOUT 50/50. SINCE THE GO AROUND OPTION IS A SAFETY OPTION--HAD I KNOWN HE WAS GOING TO CROSS IN FRONT OF US--I WOULD HAVE ABANDONED THE APCH WHILE IT WAS SAFE. UNFORTUNATELY THIS TYPE OF OCCURRENCE IS NOT UNCOMMON AT LGB. IN MY LAST 2 DOZEN ARRS THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE TWR HAS CREATED A CONFLICT TO SUCH A DEG. MUCH OF THEIR PROB STEMS FROM THE MIX OF TFC AND CONFUSING HODGE-PODGE OF RWYS AND TFC PATTERNS. AMONG OTHER THINGS; THE CTLRS DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES A PLT MUST DO THE UNEXPECTED (GO AROUND) FOR SAFETY.

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