Takeoff or landing at an uncontrolled airport still has procedures
My boss wanted to see the sun’s total eclipse a few years ago, so we piled into the Gulfstream and headed to Tennessee, where the view was supposed to be spectacular. We chose Jackson airport because there was no tower and we were hoping for an easy in and easy out. Instead, we were greeted with a hundred other private and corporate planes, all with the same idea. In our opinion, not enough pilots reviewed their uncontrolled airport procedures, and the delays made us regret our decision to avoid ATC.
Of course, we were expecting it to be a madhouse because of the popularity of the eclipse. So entering the pattern felt a bit like we were at Oshkosh, except we weren’t in a 172 anymore. Everything moves a lot faster in a jet, so it was helpful when the other planes did what we expected them to do. Unfortunately, you can’t always count on that at an uncontrolled airport.
Just ask the pilots of the JetBlue A320 that was involved in a tail strike incident in Hayden, Colorado, in January. Hayden is an uncontrolled field near Denver that serves business jets and airlines with passengers going to the resort area of Steamboat Springs. Pilots of all experience levels share the same airspace without ATC.
The trouble for the JetBlue pilots began on the takeoff roll. They saw the opposite direction King Air on final just as they neared rotation speed going the other way. They immediately rotated and initiated a hard banking right turn to avoid the smaller plane and inadvertently stuck the runway with the tail.
The pilots climbed to FL310 and decided to err on the side of caution and divert to Denver where they assessed what happened. The NTSB was called in to investigate the flight. They classified the “incident” as an accident with substantial damage. But it could have been much, much worse; 2 planes passed within ½ mile of each other.
As an airline pilot, it was pretty rare to fly into uncontrolled fields. However, once I returned to general aviation, it was an everyday occurrence that took some getting used to. I honestly felt more comfortable with ATC telling me what to do, and that trip into Jackson to see the solar eclipse was a revelation. Airplanes were everywhere, and it was up to us pilots to stay separated.
It sure illustrates the importance of solid uncontrolled airport procedures, especially at airports with all kinds of private and commercial traffic. Make sure you are professional on the radio and always let the other pilots know where you are.
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