Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport: Runway Incursions

Serious incursions (Category A and B)

• 2005-05-16 · Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport · C172 / C152 · RWY 35 · Category B

  A CESSNA C152 WAS HOLDING IN POSITION AT APPROACH END RUNWAY 35. A CESSNA C172, OPERATED BY A STUDENT PILOT, ON TWO (2) MILE FINAL TO RUNWAY 35 WAS INSTRUCTED BY LOCAL CONTROL (LC) TO PREPARE FOR A GO AROUND. THE C172 PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED BUT CONTINUED TO DESCEND TOWARDS THE RUNWAY. LC THEN INSTRUCTED THE C172 TO GO AROUND, PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED BUT CONTINUED TO DESCEND TOWARDS THE RUNWAY PASSING OVER THE C152 HOLDING AT APPROACH END. THE C172 THEN EXECUTED A TOUCH AND GO AND STATING HE WAS "ON THE GO". THE C172 TOUCHED DOWN AT INTERSECTION B3, 2,150 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY. AT THE LAST RADAR HIT THE C172 WAS ON ONE QUARTER (.25) MILE FINAL (1,320 FEET) THE RADAR SHOWED THE ALTITUDE TO BE 1,238 FEET OR 370 FEET AGL (FIELD ELEVATION 868). BASED UPON A GRADUAL DESCENT TO TOUCHDOWN THE C172 WOULD HAVE PASSED OVER THE THRESHOLD AT APPROXIMATELY 229 FEET AGL. LC HAS SINCE REVISED HIS ESTIMATE TO 200 FEET. BASED SOLELY ON A STEADY DESCENT RATE AND THE KNOWN DIMENSIONS OF THE SITUATION THE C172 PASSED APPROXIMATELY 200 TO 230 FEET AGL OVER THE C152. THE C172 LATER TOLD ATCT HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT "GO AROUND" MEANT SINCE IT WAS ONLY HIS 3RD TIME FLYING AT A TOWERED AIRPORT.