Close Calls

W

Weekendwarrior

New Member
I was just wondering how many of you have had a close call with another aircraft be it professionally or personally? Me personally, I have had two to many.

First incident happened when I was a green horn. I was taking lessons
at an uncontrolled airport within controlled airspace. My instructor and I started our takeoff roll and climb out. Upon climbout I switched freq. (Lesson #1- never switch freq. at an uncontrolled field until you are above pattern altitude!). During Our climbout a cessna was turning final for the opposite runway. My instructor leaped into action and flew that C-172 like he was a Blue Angel. Whew!

The second incident happened after I earned my PPL. I was tracking the AHN vor west bound to Lawrenceville, Ga. I don't know how, but something told me to look over my left shoulder. So I glanced over my shoulder and there was a vintage warbird bearing down on me. It passed maybe fifty feet under me, maybe less. (Lesson #2- always scan behind you!)

Fortunately, These are the only two incidents I have had since I've been flying. I hope to never have another.
 
Mine was on my only flight ever. after completing my 180 turn back toward the airport, my instructor (after letting out an "Oh Crap") let me know he was taking control (Said "my controls") and proceeded to lower our current flight level by a couple hundred feet. We went from 1700 to about 1500. When I looked out the window in the direction he was looking I saw the underside of another plane turning up and away from us in what was obviously an avoidance maneuver. It would appear that he came down out of the clouds that we were under about the same time I finished my turn.
I am just glad the instructor was paying attention.
 
DAnbert said:
Mine was on my only flight ever. after completing my 180 turn back toward the airport, my instructor (after letting out an "Oh Crap") let me know he was taking control (Said "my controls") and proceeded to lower our current flight level by a couple hundred feet. We went from 1700 to about 1500. When I looked out the window in the direction he was looking I saw the underside of another plane turning up and away from us in what was obviously an avoidance maneuver. It would appear that he came down out of the clouds that we were under about the same time I finished my turn.
I am just glad the instructor was paying attention.
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Is that why it was your only flight ever?

Flight following ... never leave home without it. Or at least try not to.
 
I'm not sure which one is my closest call, probably the one with kellwolf out in Abiline (he says the guy driving the 414 was wearing a white t-shirt and David Clarks....did I mention we were at 8,000 feet?), but my most recent one was actually with JayAre.

We were coming across a ridge going to shoot a few practice approaches and ATC comes up and says something like, "Flight 8021 do you have...nevermind, traffic alert, you've got traffic at 12 o'clock same altitude less than a mile, turn left 40 degrees and climb and maintain 8,500'"

Then about five seconds later he comes back and says, "He must see you, he's climbing too. Keep turning left another 30 degrees and climb and maintain 9,000'"

I never actually saw the target, and Justin was under the hood so he was just doing what the controller said. We out climbed the guy (obviously), and I never saw him so I figure we were pretty close if only because it was the first time in a long time I actually heard a controller start to get excited. The thing that really bugged me about that one was that he was a VFR target on an IFR altitude.

So to all you jackasses that think that you're avoiding people by using non standard altitudes, you're not. You're actually 'causing near mid airs.
 
Closest one I've had was during IFR training- we took off from an uncontrolled field under the outer ring of a Class C, at ~500 AGL I flipped my foggles on, called departing the pattern & switched from unicom to Approach to hear "Citation xxx new target just popped up, recommend you go missed" (can't remember the phrase he used, but it was something to that effect). My CFI says "my airplane' & puts us into a 60deg bank & the Citation just sails right on by without ever taking any evasive action. I saw the FO's big aviator sunglasses pretty clearly after ripping my foggles off.
They landed with a 10kt tailwind rather than do a circle to land from the localizer (runway 7/25, wind was ~090@10, the only published approaches are for 25, it was VMC, but hazy maybe 5-6 vis) They never made a single call on unicom until after landing (CFI had me stay on with approach while he switched back to unicom to complement them on their excellent comm. skills)

Lesson- not all the idiots are low time pilots- this was a fractional flight.

Recently flying with a student, we were descending into the pattern. As I'm blathering on about 'try & plan descents so your at pattern alt a few miles out etc etc" he says- "lookit that" and makes a pretty abrupt 45bank as a medevac chopper goes by about 100' below us, maybe 500' laterally. This was about his fifth lesson with me, about two weeks before he solo'ed.
 
I haven't had anything that's "soil the drawers" close but one my most recent flight in the land of no control I had three episodes. One was a guy with a radio that apparently didn't work until he was on the ground, so I never knew he was going to enter a base and cut me off from my downwind. Then I had some yahoo doing what appeared to be lazy eights of some sort, but managed to do anything but maintain a somewhat constant location. After an evasive turning descent all was fine. The last was while I was approaching the airport when what C210 screamed(!) by ~300' above and to the side.

I love uncontrolled airports.
 
There are few close calls, not as close as someone posted already. First one, I took a student for ILS approach at local area. The tower decided to roll the DC-9 while we were inside of MM. Well, I had to tell my student fly missed approach immediately while enjoy the blast from 9er. :argue:

Another one, My student was cruising at 2000' MSL to practice area while I was monitoring ATC freq. on one summer afternoon. My student pointed the plane out at 2 o'clock position(I was block by wing). At the same time, ATC was issuing traffic alert to a B-17. We missed each other by 300' vertical and less than 1/4 mile in horizontal distance. :nana2: After that close call, I had never told that student look outside again. :)

Just my experience
 
XLR99 said:
Closest one I've had was during IFR training- we took off from an uncontrolled field under the outer ring of a Class C, at ~500 AGL I flipped my foggles on, called departing the pattern & switched from unicom to Approach to hear "Citation xxx new target just popped up, recommend you go missed" (can't remember the phrase he used, but it was something to that effect). My CFI says "my airplane' & puts us into a 60deg bank & the Citation just sails right on by without ever taking any evasive action. I saw the FO's big aviator sunglasses pretty clearly after ripping my foggles off.
They landed with a 10kt tailwind rather than do a circle to land from the localizer (runway 7/25, wind was ~090@10, the only published approaches are for 25, it was VMC, but hazy maybe 5-6 vis) They never made a single call on unicom until after landing (CFI had me stay on with approach while he switched back to unicom to complement them on their excellent comm. skills)

Lesson- not all the idiots are low time pilots- this was a fractional flight.

Recently flying with a student, we were descending into the pattern. As I'm blathering on about 'try & plan descents so your at pattern alt a few miles out etc etc" he says- "lookit that" and makes a pretty abrupt 45bank as a medevac chopper goes by about 100' below us, maybe 500' laterally. This was about his fifth lesson with me, about two weeks before he solo'ed.
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was this at 1G5 or AKR??
 
I'd have to say two of my closest calls were both in the same area up North (not really up north but for this board it is). This area is very congested lots of VFR and IFR with multiple strips close to each other. Only controlled for IFR and that's only into the main airport. Had one where another PC-12 was coming directly at our side on the way into another airport in the area. He was on that place's freq we were on ours and still with center (only so many radios). Another we were VFR during forest fires, hauling fuel drums (yes in a PC-12) for the helos to refuel with. We had a Navajo above us but knew we'd pass them. Just as we see them above us he calls in descent. As one of us is on the radio telling him we're right under him and to hold off for a minute another one looks out the window and sees a caravan heading right for us. I got a good look at that Van. I know you Americans have some busy VFR but this area is nuts in the fire season especially when you're going faster than most of the other traffic!
 
I was upwind on the left runway and the plane on upwind for the right runway requested a left crosswind departure. Tower told them to extend the upwind and they would call the crosswind. Then I hear "Roger, turn left crosswind, Cessna XYZ" Within a half a second there was an airplane right in front of my windscreen. I could see the tred on the tires it was so close.
 
was this at 1G5 or AKR??

The Citation experience was at AKR. I've just had a bunch of bad experiences there, so I moved on and teach at 15G now. Plus it's about 20min. closer to home for me.
 
XLR99 said:
was this at 1G5 or AKR??

The Citation experience was at AKR. I've just had a bunch of bad experiences there, so I moved on and teach at 15G now. Plus it's about 20min. closer to home for me.
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Yea AKR has issues. Just about everytime I fly there something interesting is happening. Did you teach at AW?
 
XLR99 said:
Lesson- not all the idiots are low time pilots- this was a fractional flight.
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Let's think about what you are saying before you call the other guy names.

You took off from and uncontrolled field and into the flight path of another aircraft who was under direct control of ATC, on an IFR flight plan, on an established instrument approach and you are calling HIM an idiot?

A 10 kt tailwind is an acceptable limit for a jet and is MUCH safer than a circle to land in a jet at 500' (as long as landing distance is acceptable).

Perhaps he didn't hear anyone in the pattern before you took off, and maybe ATC didn't tell him to "change to advisory frequency" until after/during your takeoff announcement on CTAF?

A better question would be: Why didn't your CFI(and you) see a jet with a minimum of 4 large landing lights staring at him directly in the face until the "last minute???"

500 feet eh? 500’ on an ILS equates to about 1.5 miles. You said it was 5-6 miles vis so you should have seen him by the time you crossed the departure end, if not sooner, whether he had his landing lights on or not. I'm betting that they were on though.
 
NJA_Capt said:

Let's think about what you are saying before you call the other guy names.

You took off from and uncontrolled field and into the flight path of another aircraft who was under direct control of ATC, on an IFR flight plan, on an established instrument approach and you are calling HIM an idiot?

A 10 kt tailwind is an acceptable limit for a jet and is MUCH safer than a circle to land in a jet at 500' (as long as landing distance is acceptable).

Perhaps he didn't hear anyone in the pattern before you took off, and maybe ATC didn't tell him to "change to advisory frequency" until after/during your takeoff announcement on CTAF?

A better question would be: Why didn't your CFI(and you) see a jet with a minimum of 4 large landing lights staring at him directly in the face until the "last minute???"

500 feet eh? 500’ on an ILS equates to about 1.5 miles. You said it was 5-6 miles vis so you should have seen him by the time you crossed the departure end, if not sooner, whether he had his landing lights on or not. I'm betting that they were on though.
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Not trying to flame, I'm just curious, but how strong does the wind have to be before you'll circle? Cause if there's a 10 knot wind down the opposite runway, you can bet than any and all GA aircraft will be using the favored runway, and if the jet pilot checks the AWOS he should expect traffic for the opposite runway and should at least be monitoring the CTAF even if ATC has not told them to change to advisory. If there are several in the pattern are they all expected to depart the pattern to accomidate the jet on the straight in ILS for the oppostie runway, just cause he's a jet?
 
flyguy said:
...how strong does the wind have to be before you'll circle?
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Think of it the other way around. Most jets have to circle if it is MORE than a 10 kt tailwind. IE...Max tailwind limit for t/o or landing is 10 kts.

flyguy said:
...if the jet pilot checks the AWOS he should expect traffic for the opposite runway and should at least be monitoring the CTAF even if ATC has not told them to change to advisory.
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You would think that checking the ASOS/AWOS would give a clue to the favored runway.....but not always, including large Class Bs. They will not swap ends until the tailwind exceeds 10 kts. The "jets should check CTAF before entering the pattern" stories have been hashed and rehashed on here before, so I won't get into it again. Just keep in mind sometimes for various operational reasons it is not possible to "listen in" soon enough to hear everyone. We cover the "last five miles" a lot faster than the GA pistons doing laps. We DO try, but sometimes it's not as easy as you think it is (at <100 KIAS).

flyguy said:
If there are several in the pattern are they all expected to depart the pattern to accommodate the jet on the straight in ILS for the opposite runway, just cause he's a jet?
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Not at all. Like I said above, if the Citation crew didn't hear his announcement, he would conclude that the pattern is empty, in which case a straight in approach from the ILS is the safest option. When a pattern is full, I am more than happy to join in the pattern.
 
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