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:

A pilot avoided a potential mid-air collision at a non-towered airport by taking evasive action, referencing the fatal 2022 Watsonville accident as a cautionary tale.
The Watsonville mid-air collision, which killed three, was attributed to a faster twin-engine aircraft failing to see and avoid a slower pattern aircraft, largely due to the twin's excessive speed and improper landing configuration.
The article emphasizes that pilots must maintain active vigilance ("see and avoid") and prioritize safety by taking 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.