...And Avoid

Seriously? That’s all we get? Our only takeaway is to watch for other traffic? I want more.

Frank Bowlin

Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 08:27 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A mid-air collision at Watsonville Airport (KWVI) between a Cessna 340 and Cessna 152 resulted in three fatalities, with the NTSB attributing the cause to the C340 pilot's failure to see and avoid.
The author criticizes the NTSB report as inadequate, arguing it failed to highlight crucial contributing factors like the C340's excessive 180-knot approach speed, insufficient radio communication, and the C152's decision to continue in the pattern despite awareness of the rapidly approaching C340.
The incident underscores that minor procedural changes by either pilot could have prevented the accident, emphasizing the critical importance of situational awareness, effective communication, and the "see and avoid" principle in uncontrolled airspace.

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Watsonville, California, has a nice airport just inland from California’s Monterey Bay. It’s a busy, nontowered (uncontrolled?) airport with extensive flight training, transient, and corporate traffic. Years ago I based my Cessna 340 there.

Watsonville (KWVI) has two runways. The main runway is 2/20 as the wind is almost always off Monterey Bay, favoring Runway 20. The crosswind runway, 9/27, sees less use.