This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
My student and I completed a full stop landing at Somerset Airport (KSMQ) in New Jersey.
We intended to do a full stop taxi back landing for the purpose of traffic pattern practice.
Initially, while holding short of Runway 30, which was the runway in use at the time, I noticed another aircraft fly overhead of the airport above pattern altitude.
NO prior radio calls were made over the CTAF frequency as we were the only aircraft in the pattern at the time.
Because of this we did not consider this other aircraft to be a factor for the airport as no entry or downwind call was made.
We started our takeoff roll on 30 and, as we rotated, the prior aircraft finally called a base turn to the opposite runway, which was Runway 12.
This resulted in both aircraft facing head-on on the departure end of 30. We had to take an evasive maneuver action to avoid the aircraft on final.
This aircraft negated all proper safety protocols and almost resulted in a head-on collision.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1932464
Way back in the early 70’s, my instructor & I announced downwind for a noncontrolled grass field in Massachusetts. We both noted a twin overhead, way above pattern altitude. In fact, the instructor had said “no factor.”
I turned downwind and rolled wings level only to get the shadow of the twin cross my windscreen and getting larger. Instinctively I shoved the yoke forward to avoid a midair. This was immediately followed by the twin going passed, still no radio calls. I leveled out over a winding creek, below the treetops, but facing a wrought-iron bridge. No room to fly the Cessna below it just firewall the throttle and climb.
The abrupt maneuver resulted in a near stall, and some fancy weaving between the trees to gain airspeed and altitude.
Back at the airfield after landing, no sign of the twin.
The lesson I took from this was STAY VIGILANT, KEEP LOOKING! KEEP TRACK of WHAT YOU SEE!.
All the regulations in the world don’t matter if you strain your liver through the trees!]
Common problem at today’s airports. Calm day, I want to go west, the other guy wants to go east on the same piece of asphalt. Both sitting on the ground.
Who has the right for take off?
Same problem but one guy is in the air landing in opposite direction of the guy on the ground. The guy in the pattern, announced downwind for landing. He has priority for landing but the guy on the ground don’t care, he is taking off anyway.
I think you(the author) did everything correctly with respect to todays rules and procedures. That evasive action was still required is validation of the “bad things happen to good people” saying. In aviation there must be a backup plan and thankfully the author had one. Thank you author for saving lives and property.
How to fix? Mid-air collisions, see and avoid unreliability and incompetence? Highlighted in 1956 by United Airlines and TWA over the Grand Canyon as a starting point.
“Set and Crosschecked” is common for pilots using a checklist.
How about before a change in phase of flight: (takeoff, landing climb, descent etc) “ADSB”Traffic”. “Checked, Crosschecked Visually, and Communicated”
We need new procedures and rules.
ADSB should be required more than it is,
No electrical system exclusion. Cancel it.
Keep adsb on while on the ground- Standard Procedure.
Unlimited Touch and Go”s, Stop and Go, taxi back on runway- Reduce usage.
I was taught early on to do a 360 degree clearing turn as the last item before taking the runway. Look everywhere for traffic, expect the unexpected…
If the other aircraft called their base turn as the departing aircraft was rotating, that still leaves plenty of time to turn away on the upwind. It sounds like the departing aircraft did nothing to alter course.
Nothing new ever since the second plane got built.
No windsock and runway direction indicator?
Congratulations!
You’ve learned that two-way radios are NOT required equipment at that field, the FAA’s see-and-avoid doctrine applies here, and you eventually followed guidance to maneuver the aircraft so as to avoid a collision.
Your student deserves a better instructor who would avoid the PHAF hazardous attitude of “machoism” or the “I’m right” attitude so as to approach another aircraft so as to need to perform low-level “evasive maneuvers.”
Exactly right You’re, Mr. Andrew
Yep! This ^^^^.
The other aircraft over flying the field should have seen the aircraft on the ground and lined up on that runway as well. Some missed opportunities on both sides
You were doing traffic pattern practice with a student, which should include all radio calls for an uncontrolled airport. Once you saw an aircraft in the area you should have started making calls. If the other aircraft called base as you rotated there was plenty of time to make calls at that point. The arriving aircraft should also have been making calls if they intended to use the airport.
This usually is the result of one aircraft accidentally using the wrong frequency for the airport. The departing aircraft should have visually checked the pattern more carefully before takeoff, not to mention checked for ADS-B or RADAR targets if he was ADS-B in equipped.
Too many pilots wrongly think radios are required.
Landing aircraft have priority, and you chose to not make any radio calls despite clearly not actually having good information about other aircraft in the pattern. This is not the other aircraft’s fault. A simple “taking 3-0 to remain in pattern” would have easily avoided this situation.