Bottlenecks In The Sky

Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 11:20 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

While practicing approaches at a non-towered airport, a flight instructor and safety pilot experienced a near-collision on final approach with another aircraft that made only a single radio call, was not visible on ADS-B, and did not acknowledge their presence.
Despite following all safety procedures and using available technology, the unknown pilot's lack of communication and awareness forced them to initiate a go-around to ensure safety.
The incident underscores the vital importance of defensive flying, diligent communication, and courtesy, particularly in critical "bottleneck" areas like the final approach at non-towered fields.

See a mistake? Contact us.

It was a beautiful day over South Florida, perfect for my flight instructor’s mission of racking up some practice approaches. I was in the right seat, acting as her safety pilot. We had chosen some non-towered airports for this practice, and were acutely aware we weren’t the only people out flying this fine day.

In addition to the electronic flight bag apps running on our respective tablets, the panel-mounted multi-function display was showing us ADS-B In traffic in the vicinity. We were clearly announcing our position and intent throughout, listening closely to the CTAFs at the airports we were using and then coordinating our plans with other pilots in the area, as needed. All was going well.