Training and Proficiency What A CFI Wants You To Know

Remembering Right of Way and Steering Clear of a ‘Watsonville’

Clearing the area before you turn is one of the first lessons a pilot learns.

Tuesday, July 09, 2024 at 12:31 PM ET

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Image captured before an August 2022 midair collision at Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI) in California. [Credit: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The fatal Watsonville mid-air collision occurred when a faster twin-engine aircraft on a straight-in approach failed to see and avoid a slower aircraft in the traffic pattern, despite both pilots communicating on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF).
This incident underscores the critical importance of the "see and avoid" principle, particularly at non-towered airports, and the inherent risks posed by significant speed differentials between aircraft.
Pilots are advised to prioritize proactive collision avoidance and take evasive action, even if they technically have the right of way, as "right of way is not worth dying for."

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I was flying the pattern of Pierce County Airport-Thun Field (KPLU) in Puyallup, Washington, with a private pilot in his Cessna 172 when, just as we reached the “abeam the intended point of touchdown” on the downwind leg, the pilot of a Cessna twin keyed up reporting on a 3-mile final.

I looked off the extended centerline hoping to see the landing light of the twin. No joy. The skies were hazy due to forest fire smoke, and the light was flat because it was late afternoon and, frankly, it was difficult to see anything.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.