U
Unregistered
Guest
Several lessons learned here. First is never to divulge anything voluntarily to the FAA. Second is to be very careful at all times, but especially ehen doing a VFR straight-in approach.
My wife and I spent the week in Kerrville, Texas and had just left the Austin Robert Mueller airport where we picked up our neice to spend a few days with us. I had decided to be lazy and instead of entering the traffic pattern at the recommended 45 degree angle, I planned a straight in approach. This was after calling Unicom about 15 miles out and asking for current winds and runway in use. I was told runway 01 was preferred and no other traffic in the pattern. I put the plane in a three mile straight-in final and again told Unicom of my intentions and no other aircraft came on to say they were either in the pattern or getting ready to depart.
I am doing my pre landing check list mainly to insure I have three in the green and my wife looks out the window (I should have been doing that) as well when about 50 feet away (it looked a whold lot closer than that) we see a twin engine comuter aircraft that has just taken off from runway 19. I did a sharp right turn and the other aircraft away from me just micro seconds from a collision. I then flew outbound for a couple of miles to compose myself and spoke to Unicom asking the preferred runway. They repeated 01 so I entered a 45 downwind and landed on 01. After putting the plane away, I went to the Unicom office and asked what aircraft had departed on 19. They said it was a comuter airplane that uses the Killeen Airport as its home base, but rarely if ever botherers to announce its intentions over the Unicom instead getting its clearances from our local center at Gray Army Airfield some 6 miles to the west.
Needless to say I was miffed. So instead of asking more knowledgeable friends who would have told me not to do it, I called the FAA and first asked if I share this I want assurances that no one will get in trouble, but am calling to hopefully get better adherences with using Unicom at uncontrolled airports. Silly me. The man on the other end of the phone assured me what I am going to say is done in confidence and no one will be in trouble. Liar liar - pants on fire.
A couple of weeks later I receive a certified letter which I had to sign for and all of the time thinking before reading this that it has to be an error. I was the reporting party and they told me no one would be punished. Well, it was a letter demanding I explain in detail the actions that took place over Killeen Airport on that day and this accounting by me had to be in their office within 10 days.
I called their office and told them of the conversation I had before telling them of the incident. They said, Due to the possible magnitude of the incident we will not hold ourselves to that promise. We require you to complete that incident report. Hell, yes I was intimidated so I completed the report and sent it to the FAA at Meachem Field thinking this would be the last I heard of it. Wrong! They required I visit their office and fill out another explanation. I did that and waited in an outer office while three of their inspectors evaluated my explanation. They then told me I was being sanctioned as I made an improper approach to the airport. I then got mad and asked what regulation specified a straight in approach is not authorized. They stammered and said it was outlined in the Airmans Information Manual. I retorted, The AIM is not a regulatory document. It is only a suggested method of completing a manuver. They said they would take that under advisement. I left and immediately upon returning to Killeen went to see an attorney. My daughter-in-law works for two lawyers. I explained the situation to the senior of the two and a very good friend attorney friend in the next office is also a pilot and CFI. We sit down and discuss the pending sanctions the FAA has said they would impose on me.
A rather stinging letter was sent by my attorney to the FAA chief counsel with a copy to the FAA office at Meachum Field. Less than two weeks later I get a letter from the FAA saying they are dropping the case against me due to confusion. Confusion hell, they know when they screwed up and are trying to extracate themselves from the back lash.
However, I rarely do straight in approaches although perfectly legal, I prefer to be safe rather than dead right. I also do not make any more phone calls to the FAA.
My wife and I spent the week in Kerrville, Texas and had just left the Austin Robert Mueller airport where we picked up our neice to spend a few days with us. I had decided to be lazy and instead of entering the traffic pattern at the recommended 45 degree angle, I planned a straight in approach. This was after calling Unicom about 15 miles out and asking for current winds and runway in use. I was told runway 01 was preferred and no other traffic in the pattern. I put the plane in a three mile straight-in final and again told Unicom of my intentions and no other aircraft came on to say they were either in the pattern or getting ready to depart.
I am doing my pre landing check list mainly to insure I have three in the green and my wife looks out the window (I should have been doing that) as well when about 50 feet away (it looked a whold lot closer than that) we see a twin engine comuter aircraft that has just taken off from runway 19. I did a sharp right turn and the other aircraft away from me just micro seconds from a collision. I then flew outbound for a couple of miles to compose myself and spoke to Unicom asking the preferred runway. They repeated 01 so I entered a 45 downwind and landed on 01. After putting the plane away, I went to the Unicom office and asked what aircraft had departed on 19. They said it was a comuter airplane that uses the Killeen Airport as its home base, but rarely if ever botherers to announce its intentions over the Unicom instead getting its clearances from our local center at Gray Army Airfield some 6 miles to the west.
Needless to say I was miffed. So instead of asking more knowledgeable friends who would have told me not to do it, I called the FAA and first asked if I share this I want assurances that no one will get in trouble, but am calling to hopefully get better adherences with using Unicom at uncontrolled airports. Silly me. The man on the other end of the phone assured me what I am going to say is done in confidence and no one will be in trouble. Liar liar - pants on fire.
A couple of weeks later I receive a certified letter which I had to sign for and all of the time thinking before reading this that it has to be an error. I was the reporting party and they told me no one would be punished. Well, it was a letter demanding I explain in detail the actions that took place over Killeen Airport on that day and this accounting by me had to be in their office within 10 days.
I called their office and told them of the conversation I had before telling them of the incident. They said, Due to the possible magnitude of the incident we will not hold ourselves to that promise. We require you to complete that incident report. Hell, yes I was intimidated so I completed the report and sent it to the FAA at Meachem Field thinking this would be the last I heard of it. Wrong! They required I visit their office and fill out another explanation. I did that and waited in an outer office while three of their inspectors evaluated my explanation. They then told me I was being sanctioned as I made an improper approach to the airport. I then got mad and asked what regulation specified a straight in approach is not authorized. They stammered and said it was outlined in the Airmans Information Manual. I retorted, The AIM is not a regulatory document. It is only a suggested method of completing a manuver. They said they would take that under advisement. I left and immediately upon returning to Killeen went to see an attorney. My daughter-in-law works for two lawyers. I explained the situation to the senior of the two and a very good friend attorney friend in the next office is also a pilot and CFI. We sit down and discuss the pending sanctions the FAA has said they would impose on me.
A rather stinging letter was sent by my attorney to the FAA chief counsel with a copy to the FAA office at Meachum Field. Less than two weeks later I get a letter from the FAA saying they are dropping the case against me due to confusion. Confusion hell, they know when they screwed up and are trying to extracate themselves from the back lash.
However, I rarely do straight in approaches although perfectly legal, I prefer to be safe rather than dead right. I also do not make any more phone calls to the FAA.
