Try Looking Outside

[Hedley]

From http://www.avweb.com

TWO BONANZAS LAND ON SAME RUNWAY, AT SAME TIME
On Monday afternoon, pilot Robert Johnson had just touched down in his
Bonanza at the Los Alamos County Airport in New Mexico when his
passenger noticed an ominous-looking shadow just ahead. Another
Bonanza, on short final, was trying to land on the same runway
and crashed
into the top of Johnson's airplane. Unhurt, Johnson struggled to
maintain control as the two entangled aircraft rolled down the runway
and coasted to a stop. The pilot of the second airplane, who also was
uninjured, said he'd mistakenly been tuned to the wrong radio
frequency, and the first Bonanza was not visible to him as he flew the
approach. Johnson and his passenger were unable to open the doors or
windows and had to be extricated from the cockpit by rescue workers. A
similar accident occurred in Florida in December 1999.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193665

LESSONS LEARNED IN PAST MIDAIRS
The NTSB has determined that in two midair collisions involving GA
aircraft, the failure of the pilots to see and avoid was the main
cause of the accident. However, in both cases failures of air traffic
control were cited as contributing causes. In 2002, three people died
when a Mooney and a Beech Duchess collided
while
on downwind for Runway 24 at Palomar, in Carlsbad, Calif. In August
2005, a Cessna 150 and a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
collided in Renton, Wash. A student and instructor in the 150 were
killed. In the two cases, a controller either gave inadequate
information or missed a chance to avert the crash, the NTSB said.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#193666

[. ._]

Yeah, but I'll bet he had the airspeed pegged.

-istp

[Kilo-Kilo]

I saw it on the news, it looked like the Bonanzas were trying to make a litter of little Bonanzas.

[Clodhopper]

I love how in the news report video in the link, the reporter says that the FAA will look into ATC's involvement, but that Los Alamos airport doesn't have a control tower.

So...partly responsible but not involved?

And unfortunately, the merging descent in the same direction is the one type where spotting another aircraft is incredibly difficult. The problem here is the eyes were outside, just not in the right place, and unfortunately blocked by aluminum.

[TerrainTerrain]

I recall one busy Saturday afternoon in the circuit in a 172, flying r/h circuit, base to final Rwy 25, and just after I turned for final, looking out the left window and seeing a Cessna 30-50 feet away, parallel to me.

Talk about shit your pants factor.

Definitely look out them windows. And don't say you have traffic if you can't see past the glare-filled windscreen on a sunny day.

[C-KEEP]

I was in the circuit with a student. A company 172 took off behind us for the circuit. When it came time for us to turn downwind, I looked both ways, and there's our "friend" about 50' low and 50' to our left, turning downwind...I think I did poop my pants.

"Look before you leap" people!

[Hedley]

The visibility out of most light civilian aircraft is quite poor. There is often
no skylight, so you can't see up, the wings block much of the sky, there
are no translucent panels in the sides or in the floor, and the roll rate is
very slow.

... which is why I love flying with a canopy, and clear panels in the floor.
A high roll rate allows you to flick the stick back and forth and quickly
clear the sky around you.

I had a bad experience, doing the fisk/ripon thing into OSH about 15
years ago, when I looked down and saw a polished Cessna RIGHT
THERE. He didn't park very far from us, and after we landed (and I
stopped shaking) I asked him if he saw us above us, and he hadn't.

LOOK OUTSIDE.