No Call to Close Call: Keep Vigilant Even on Familiar Runway

Routine instructional flight turns into a heart-stopping moment when two aircraft unexpectedly meet on a hidden runway.

Tim Thompson

Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Be especially vigilant on runways you are most comfortable with. [Illustration: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

An experienced pilot narrowly avoided a head-on collision with another aircraft while landing on a quiet, uncontrolled grass strip, despite making CTAF announcements and using an onboard traffic display.
The incident occurred due to the other aircraft's lack of communication and an unannounced straight-in approach, compounded by the runway's hilly topography which obscured visibility of the opposite end.
The pilot's expectation of an empty field, reinforced by an instructor's comment and a 2-mile traffic display scale, contributed to the surprise encounter.
Key takeaways include the importance of never assuming silent CTAF means no traffic, utilizing all available visibility aids, expanding traffic display range at uncontrolled fields, and maintaining extreme vigilance, especially on final approach to any runway.

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One beautiful morning, I rolled up to a grass strip in Florida just before the sun came up. I noticed a Cessna 182 completing his run-up and watched him depart as I rolled back the hangar doors. I was going to meet my friend Charley for an early morning instructional flight in a light sport aircraft (LSA) I was considering purchasing, and I wanted to get a head start on my preflight.

Our taxi and departure to the east was smooth and the climbout from the undulating runway was beautiful as the sun peeked over the horizon.