After an IFR flight of nearly four hours, my wife and I approached a north central U.S. airport in our Mooney. We had descended below the 6000-foot overcast to find excellent visibility. My wife handled the communications while I flew; her first call to the tower, from more than 10 miles out, was met with the question, “Are you IFR or VFR?” She responded that we had canceled our IFR flight plan and were VFR with the field in sight. We were advised to enter a left downwind for the east-west runway. 288
Tower Controlled
After an IFR flight of nearly four hours, my wife and I approached a north central U.S. airport in our Mooney. We had descended below the 6000-foot overcast to find excellent visibility. My wife handled the communications while I flew; her first call to the tower, from more than 10 miles out, was met with the question, "Are you IFR or VFR?" She responded that we had canceled our IFR flight plan and were VFR with the field in sight. We were advised to enter a left downwind for the east-west runway.
Key Takeaways:
- A Mooney aircraft experienced a near-miss with a twin aircraft on final approach to a busy airport, where the twin passed dangerously close (30-50 feet) overhead.
- The conflict arose due to the twin, flown by an instructor and student executing a simulated engine-out, mistaking another aircraft for the Mooney and failing to maintain proper sequencing despite ATC instructions and acknowledgments.
- The incident highlighted the critical importance for pilots to prioritize their own visual assessment and situational awareness over ATC reassurance or other aircraft acknowledgments, which can be flawed.
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