Pilots collided in mid-air during training session: Transportation Safety Board report

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A mid-air collision near Gatineau last June was the result of miscommunication and failure to identify another aircraft at night, says the Transportation Safety Board.

The collision occurred June 20 during a night training session conducted by pilots from the Richcopter Inc. flight training unit, operating under the name of Select Aviation College. The pilots of three Cessna 150 aircraft were engaged in touch-and-go manoeuvres on Runway 09 of the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport.

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In aviation, a touch-and-go manoeuvre involves landing and taking off again in a circuit without coming to a full stop, allowing a pilot to practice a number of landings in a short period of time. 

That night, the three pilots were preparing to conduct night circuits and touch-and-go manoeuvres under visual flight rules to meet night rating requirements, said says TSB’s report. The three aircraft took off, one after the other, around 9:30 p.m. 

Miscommunication and failure to visually detect the other aircraft led to the pilot of one of the planes, registration C-GRAE, to strike the top of another other plane, registration C-FUAE, hitting the rudder and vertical stabilizer. No one was injured and both aircraft sustained minor damage.

Following the impact, which both pilots felt, the pilot of C-FUAE announced that he was going to land and stopped at about 10:49 p.m. while the pilot of C-GRAE conducted a go-around.

The pilot of C-FUAE discovered that his aircraft was damaged and warned the other pilots still in flight to be careful on final approach because something had struck his aircraft, but he did not know if it had been a bird or something else.

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Despite being warned about the collision by the pilot of C-FUAE, the pilot of C-GRAE “did not acknowledge this communication” and continued with touch-and-go maneuvers, coming to a full stop at 11: 09 p.m., according to the report.

Both aircraft had navigation lights, but the bright backdrop of the northeast part of Gatineau may have made it more difficult to be visually detected, said the report. 

When an impact of “unusual movement or noise” is detected in flight, pilots are advised to land as soon as possible and inspect their aircraft, even if no immediate issues are apparent. Creating and setting such limits can help reduce congestion and mitigate the risk of mid-air collisions during training sessions, said the report.

The two Cessna 150 aircraft did not have an airborne collision avoidance system, nor were they required to have one by regulation.

Previous TSB investigations have concluded that relying solely on visual detection increases the risk of collision while in uncontrolled airspace. The incident highlights the importance of collision avoidance technologies, such as traffic awareness and collision avoidance systems available for general aviation aircraft, said the report.

After the incident, Select Aviation College implemented a limit of four aircraft in the circuit at any one time and a monthly safety assessment related to events that occurred. A fixed radio has also been made available to the supervising instructor and instructors have reviewed procedures for circuit communications with all students.

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