Here’s a situation that could have been much worse!
This is another story that I thought you guys would enjoy and hopefully learn from. It was submitted by someone who was making all his calls, and doing the right things, but it wasn’t good enough because the other person involved wasn’t doing the same. Keep your eyes open because you never know what may surprise you!
Article written by Rich Wegener
I was landing for a fuel stop at a uncontrolled airport, a long ways from my home base. The airport was in Northeastern NM, and was pretty deserted.
I had called “The 45”, Downwind, Base and then final.
As I was on short final, I heard a 182 call downwind for the same runway. As I landed and starting to brake, and was slowing down, almost ready to turn off the runway, but still on the center-line, I see the 182 not more than 20 feet above my windshield, and he touched down not more than 100 yards in front of me.
I was in my Cessna 170, so when he called “down-wind” he was already well into my “blind-side” I have no visibility up and aft. I heard the downwind call, but assumed he would, at the very least call base and final (he didn’t). As soon as he touched down, I said (sic)
“Cessna that just landed, do you know you landed right over the top of me???!!!”
(slight pause) “Where are you?”
“I’m about 100 yards behind you” at which point, I can see his wife and daughter (That’s how close he was) look out the back window at me. I was just slow enough at that point to turn off the runway.
“Oh, geez, I’m really sorry, I didn’t see you!”
I taxied to the fuel pump, and by the time I shut down, he and his family had secured his airplane and were on their way into the FBO. He came over to me, and took complete responsibility. It turned out that the guy was the owner of the FBO, and told me that “(he) always lands long, because the FBO was at the end of the (longish) runway.”
I did not think then, or now, that I needed to take it any further. He knew he screwed up, and we talked about flying the proper procedures. And I’m sure his wife let him have it also…. But…. the site of the oil-stained belly of that 182 not more than 20 ft above my windscreen will always be in my memory.
Easily the closest that I’ve ever come to being in a serious aviation accident. Oh, and one last thing… I did get a free top-off from him…