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Shaken, not stirred.....

So I’m flying to my home base this Sunday, establish radio contact and receive landing info. A few minutes later I join the circuit – no one else around, but even so, I call downwind, base and final (force of habit, just in case others have just joined the frequency, so that they know I’m there). On base, I start receiving warnings from my Zaon MRX – intruder 2NM away, 700 feet lower (I’m at 1200 feet with a field elevation of 200 feet), trend no change. I turn onto final at around 1000 feet and the alerts are getting more pronounced – 400 feet lower, climbing, less than 0.5NM away. I call final, receive the wind info from the field, now the MRX is showing traffic 300 feet lower, climbing, 0.3NM.

I ask over radio whether there is someone on the field with a transponder on but before anyone can respond, I see a motor glider below me to my left, my track is 061, he is overtaking me on my left, speed around 80knots (I’m configured for 73knots) with a track of around 070 – see picture below, the red course is my track as recorded by my Garmin, the yellow is the routing of the motor glider; he had been flying at 500 feet MSL (or possibly lower) along the river and started a climb when approaching the city. The black marks indicate the relative positions of each aircraft when I first noticed the motor glider, my first reaction was to close the throttle in an attempt to gain separation, uttered a profanity as I watched it cross my path.

The controller at the field then spotted the aircraft about 15 seconds later as it passed low over the field and hailed him and – to my astonishment – the pilot was actually on frequency, he’d just not bothered to announce himself, nor had he taken any interest in the fact that he was flying through the final approach to the field at a level likely to risk a mid air collision. When the controller advised him that that he was flying well below the minimum altitude required for SERA, the pilot then stated that as he wasn’t over any built up areas but following the river, he was entitled to fly as low as he liked, in any case, his schooling required the practice of low flying (I presume this meant it was a student and instructor on board but I’m not sure). Either way, the pilot was adamant he had done no wrong.

As you can imagine, I was severely shaken by the recklessness and inconsiderate attitude of the pilot in command. A day later I’m just angry at what could have happened and am considering what actions to take. I know where this motor glider is based, it’s about 10 miles from where I am located. What would you do – go round, find the responsible pilot and have it out face to face with him? Or just report it to the authorities and let them take care of this reckless individual?

Last Edited by Steve6443 at 29 Aug 09:53
EDL*, Germany

Steve6443 wrote:

Or just report it to the authorities and let them take care of this reckless individual?

People make mistakes. Even pilots do sometimes. I have so far never reported anyone to the authorities and I would never report anybody for making a mistake (unless I would feel that only an official response to his mistake will save him and other from certain death).

But your case is different. This motorglider superhero did not make a mistake. He committed several severe violations in one single flight endangering others and himself in the process. He even admitted his violations and showed no sign of understanding what he just did. If I were you I would have filed an official report ten minutes after landing with the airfield radio operator as witness. Imagine an other pilot than you without a collision alerting device had been in your position. People like that motorglider pilot (instructor even?) require immediate retraining.

EDDS - Stuttgart

I concur. Make the report.

Forever learning
EGTB

Thanks for the responses, usually I don’t like getting the authorities involved – as what_next says, everyone makes mistakes, I also prefer to discuss my issues with people face to face rather than be seen to be ‘running to the authorities’. But in this case, I too don’t believe that a stern face to face talk with me will bring the PIC to comprehend what he was doing was grossly negligent.

Either way, I discussed it with the radio operator at the tower, he had already filed it in the occurrences book and sent a report to the Bezirksregierung and has asked me to file my witness statement with regards the incident from my side….. let’s see what the BR have to say….

Just as a point of interest, the way I understand it, SERA (in Germany, I know the UK has an exception to keep their 500 feet from other people, buildings, etc) says we need to be at least 500 feet above the highest obstacle within 600m of us, correct?

Last Edited by Steve6443 at 29 Aug 10:53
EDL*, Germany

In a somewhat similar situation, we took very nice air-to-air photos of a pilot cutting in front of us in the circuit once, and went up to him to show them to him after landing. He was honestly shocked and I think he learned his lesson.

Maybe the pilot in question started to argue because he thought that the airfield operator only wanted to give himself airs by citing SERA and regulations. Had he said “you almost caused a mid-air right there!” the reaction might have been different. This incident really wasn’t so much about minimum overflying height of a city, but about keeping out of the traffic pattern (or correctly integrating into it) and about radio procedure. So if you have the opportunity, I would try to see the said pilot personally and discuss this situation as you have described it here. It might be more effective than if the authorities do it, if your goal is to make this pilot learn and progress.

That being said, if he gives you an attitude or if it’s unduly hard to find the pilot in the first place, I wouldn’t let this slip and make a report as well.

Last Edited by Rwy20 at 29 Aug 10:59

Steve6443 wrote:

Just as a point of interest, the way I understand it, SERA (in Germany, I know the UK has an exception to keep their 500 feet from other people, buildings, etc) says we need to be at least 500 feet above the highest obstacle within 600m of us, correct?

Correct. This is the German text of the relevant rule (SERA.5005 letter f):

„Außer wenn dies für Start und Landung notwendig ist oder von der zuständigen Behörde genehmigt wurde, darf ein Flug nach Sichtflugregeln nicht durchgeführt werden

1. über Städten, anderen dicht besiedelten Gebieten und Menschenansammlungen im Freien in einer Höhe von weniger als 300 m (1.000 ft) über dem höchsten Hindernis innerhalb eines Umkreises von 600 m um das Luftfahrzeug;

2. in anderen als in Nummer 1 genannten Fällen in einer Höhe von weniger als 150 m (500 ft) über dem Boden oder Wasser oder 150 m (500 ft) über dem höchsten Hindernis innerhalb eines Umkreises von 150 m (500 ft) um das Luftfahrzeug."

Last Edited by what_next at 29 Aug 11:44
EDDS - Stuttgart

Report it.

This happens in the UK all the time. Shoreham, like all Class G airfields, gets various non-radio passing-through traffic including a glider recently (thankfully he was Mode C) but that does not make it less serious.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

… gets various non-radio passing-through traffic …

That’s bad enough, but this guy here had a radio, listened in, knew there was traffic about to land and still continued to fly through the traffic circuit and below minimum enroute altitude. And worst of all he had the impudence to state that his behavior was part of a “training detail”. Training for what? Drug smuggling below the radar coverage? Triggering real word TCAS alerts?

EDDS - Stuttgart

Rwy20 wrote:

Maybe the pilot in question started to argue because he thought that the airfield operator only wanted to give himself airs by citing SERA and regulations. Had he said “you almost caused a mid-air right there!” the reaction might have been different.

My actual statement – which was broadcasted over the frequency – was

‘scheisse, das war aber verdammt knapp!’. *

If you were the PIC and based on the fact that you’d heard me calling base, heard me call final then heard me asking if there are other aircraft around with their transponder on, wouldn’t you be able to put two and two together and think ‘yeah, perhaps I should have done something different here’ rather than argue the toss? When the radio operator advised me of the position of the motor glider and I replied ‘I now have him in sight but don’t have a clue what he’s doing’, he still remained silent – no attempt to apologise, just blithely continued onward. He only responded when directly challenged by the radio operator on the field…..

  • for non german speakers – ‘sh1t, that was f***ing close’
EDL*, Germany

In that case, to say it with the Trump supporters: Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!

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