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.
Summary: Practicing in the traffic pattern at non-towered airport. Aircraft Y enters the area and conducts a visual approach on the opposing runway (XX) without making any calls of his intentions.
As I landed on Runway XY, I noticed Aircraft Y descending on a short final. I made the corrective action to abort takeoff while Aircraft Y executed a missed approach, continued in the pattern, and landed uneventfully on Runway XY.
My student and I were practicing traffic patterns. There is only one runway at ZZZ, Runway XY and XX. I noticed my ADSB-Out alerting two incoming aircraft arriving in the vicinity. To my knowledge, only the non-involved aircraft identified the appropriate runway.
Aircraft Y did not make calls pertaining to which runway he was entering on but addressed that his approach was from the south.
As my student and I were in the pattern, we were making our usual position reports (crosswind, downwind, base, final). On the base leg, we noticed one aircraft was already established on an entry for the downwind, while Aircraft Y (involved aircraft) was entering the area by showing a flight path towards the departure end of Runway XY.
I did not perceive his entry at the time as an approach. I assumed he was maneuvering onto the left downwind for Runway XY behind the other aircraft.
We continued our approach and made a radio call addressing our intentions of a touch-and-go. At touchdown, we intended to do a touch-and-go; unfortunately, towards the departure end of Runway XY, we saw Aircraft Y in a descent heading straight at us.
I took action with my student to abort takeoff and made a radio call. We stopped before the end of the runway and cleared the runway.
At 300-500 feet AGL, Aircraft Y added power and turned right to intercept the left downwind for Runway XY. My student and I taxied back to Runway XY and held short for both aircraft to land before taking off again.
What I believe caused the runway incursion was the lack of situational awareness from the pilot or pilots of Aircraft Y. As a flight instructor from a nearby flight school, we use this airport frequently to train students.
It is known at my flight school that this airport has had many problems with general aviation pilots being unsafe. My intention for writing this report is to address the ongoing occurrences at this non-towered airport which many flight schools use as a learning area.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2143045
Not condoning pilot Y, but I’ve had the embarrassment of making all the required radio calls at a non-towered airport with the frequency one digit off.
You are not alone (been there, done that), truth is most NORDO aircraft are actually radio equipped.
Maybe they were on the wrong frequency.
FAA says no radios (“NORDO”) is legal, but honestly, in today’s airspace it ain’t real bright. Handhelds are only a few hundred bucks; that’s sofa money in aviation. It is possible that the aircraft in question had an electrical failure, or the pilot suspected a fire and turned off the master. Or the mic failed. Or the radio failed. Or the wrong button on the audio panel got pressed and even though the mic was good, nothing was getting to the radios.
The FAA also doesn’t require insurance, and that ain’t real bright either. Someone could buy and legally fly an A380 (I hear they’re going cheap) with no insurance, and they’d be legal – but dumb.
Be careful out there!
Best Regards,
M/M
Possible lack of radios in that zombie airplane? Can’t believe that’s legal. Regards/J
I am constantly amused by the same people who are so upset that there may be a flying machine out there somewhere that is without radio contact, yet think nothing of driving 70 miles per hour down the freeway 5 feet away from someone they have never met and have no idea what their intentions may be….