GA-SMA CLEARED TO TAXI ACROSS END OF RWY CONCERNED ABOUT PROX OF GA-SMA ON FINAL APCH AND PROX OF TIE DOWN AREA TO RWY THRESHOLD.

Date: 1988-12 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|less-severe|ground-incursion-runway

Synopsis

GA-SMA CLEARED TO TAXI ACROSS END OF RWY CONCERNED ABOUT PROX OF GA-SMA ON FINAL APCH AND PROX OF TIE DOWN AREA TO RWY THRESHOLD.

Narrative

I WAS CLRED TO TAXI BY CTLR WHO KNEW OF TFC ON DOWNWIND FOR RWY 3R; BUT DIDN'T TELL ME OF IT. THE CTLR THEN TOOK A PHONE CALL AND DID NOT GET BACK INTO THE CHAIN OF EVENTS UNTIL SMA Y PASSED. HE FIGURED RWY 3R TFC WAS NOT A FACTOR. I TURNED LEFT FROM TIED DOWN ONTO TXWY AND IMMEDIATELY SAW TFC ON CLOSE IN FINAL FOR RWY 3R (ABOUT 15 SECS ELAPSED BTWN TAXI CLRNC AND MY ENTRY ONTO TXWY). AFTER DETERMINING DIRECTION OF FLT OF RWY 3R FINAL TFC; FOR SURE; I TAXIED OFF TXWY ONTO SOD. FINAL TFC FOR RWY 3R EITHER DIDN'T SEE ME OR DECIDED HE HAD ENOUGH CLRNC FOR A SAFE APCH AND LNDG; RATHER THAN GOING AROUND. SITUATION OCCURRED BECAUSE OF: TIGHTER; CLOSER APCH THAN USUAL BY TFC FOR RWY 3R; TIME NEEDED FOR ME TO TURN AROUND FROM TIE DOWN ONTO TXWY; DISTR OF CTLR BY PHONE CALL; AND DECISION OF LNDG TFC NOT TO GO AROUND. SITUATION COULD BE AVOIDED BY ELIMINATION OF TIE DOWNS IN AND ADJACENT TO RESTR TAXI ZONE IN APCH TO RWY 3R. I ALWAYS FIGURED THAT THESE TIE DOWNS MUST MEET STANDARDS; BUT NOW I AM NOT SO SURE. MORE OF A SAFETY BUFFER ZONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED FOR THE APCH TO RWY 3R. ADDITIONALLY; DEPARTING TFC; ON HOT DAYS; USING RWY 21L; DOES NOT HAVE MUCH CLRNC FROM THE TIE DOWNS IN QUESTION. ELIMINATING TIE DOWNS WOULD BE AN ECONOMIC HARDSHIP FOR THE FBO'S. BUT; DETERMINATION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE TIE DOWNS IN QUESTION ARE SAFE AND MEET STANDARDS IS IMPORTANT. DISPLACING RWY 3R THRESHOLD MIGHT WORK. I AM RPTING THIS OCCURRENCE ONLY IN HOPE OF TRYING TO CORRECT WHAT MAY BE AN UNSAFE SITUATION. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED NO SINGLE ERROR BY A CTLR; PLTS INVOLVED; OR ARPT FACS WAS CAUSATIVE. IT WAS A FAILURE OF THE WHOLE SYS. WHETHER OR NOT THE SITUATION IS EVEN REPORTABLE AS A NEAR MISS IS QUESTIONABLE; AS APCHING TFC LANDED NORMALLY W/O COMMENT.

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