NASA · Aviation Safety Reporting System
Small aircraft pilot reported another aircraft was approaching from behind and gaining, and resulted in the other aircraft crossing directly above in close proximity.
What is ASRS?
The Aviation Safety Reporting System is NASA's voluntary, confidential, non- punitive incident-reporting system, established 1976. Pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians file reports describing safety- relevant events. NASA de-identifies every report before adding it to the public database. Reports are not investigated by NASA, the FAA, or the NTSB — they represent the reporter's perspective.
Pilot narrative
Verbatim from the de-identified NASA record. First-person account by the
reporter. NASA strips identifying details (names, company, specific time);
anonymization placeholders are ZZZ,
X, Y.
My aircraft maneuvered to approach CPT from 3 miles to the east at traffic pattern altitude for a direct midfield downwind entry into the traffic pattern. Observed on ADS-B another aircraft approaching us from behind, east, at approximately +700 ft. The aircraft reported on CTAF that he had us in sight and was going to conduct the same pattern entry behind my aircraft. Observed on ADS-B that he was rapidly gaining on me and advised him that I would abort my entry into the pattern and let him pass while simultaneously attempting to accelerate. Continued to observe the other aircraft get closer to my aircraft until I observed his ADS-B track begin to cross directly above mine at +200 ft. I rapidly descended approximately 200 ft. and maneuvered left to clear my tail and observed his aircraft at approximately our last position and possibly slightly higher and to the right. Maneuvered back into the downwind and landed.
NASA classification — Anomalies
- Conflict
NASA classification — Assessments
- Contributing Factors / Situations
- Human Factors
- Primary Problem
- Human Factors
ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective. The presence of reports on a topic cannot be used to infer prevalence in the National Airspace System. The authoritative source is the NASA ASRS Database Online at asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗.