After Fatal Collision, NTSB Wants FAA to Push for More Use of Common Traffic Advisory Frequencies

Safety board’s preliminary report on 2020 midair collision in Alaska suggests CTAF would have helped avoid it.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, March 09, 2022 at 06:59 PM ET

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The area in Alaska where the collision occurred. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended the FAA urge or require pilots to make more use of Common Traffic Advisory Frequencies (CTAF) to prevent midair collisions near non-towered airports, especially in Alaska.
This recommendation was prompted by the preliminary investigation into a fatal midair collision near Soldotna, Alaska, in July 2020 that resulted in seven fatalities.
The NTSB further requested the FAA establish additional CTAF areas in high-risk locations across Alaska, designate a single frequency for non-towered airports within these areas, and define mandatory position reporting locations and requirements to enhance pilot awareness.

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The National Transportation Safety Board wants the FAA to urge pilots to make more use of common traffic advisory frequencies (CTAF) as a tool to avoid midair collisions near non-towered airports.

The recommendation comes from lessons learned during the preliminary investigation into the collision of a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser near Soldotna, Alaska, that resulted in seven fatalities.