Mid-Air Collision at Punta Tierras between GNS28 and CHF-001

## UNAA Air Incident Investigation

 Aircraft Type
 Location

### **Background**

Punta Tierras International Airport is the sole airport (at the time) in the Cape Horn Federation. It has a single concrete runway measuring 93 blocks in length. It is usually quite a busy airport, and had recently been renovated in line with the UNAA report that highlighted key issues with the airport.

The first aircraft involved was a 70 hour old MTS PZL.P11c registered as GNS28 with a creative engine. The plane had been services "a while ago" and had a new, upgraded propellor fitted. The origin country was traced back to Central Argentina. The plane was en-route from Buenos Aires International Airport, and had performed 3 go-arounds prior to the crash.

The second aircraft involved was a 2 hour old MTS Birch MC-172 registered as CHF-001 with 21.9 engine hours and 21.9 airframe hours clocked up. The plane passed it's mandatory Certificate of Airworthiness in the Cape Horn Republic with no issues reported when it was first registered, and passed it's post-crash Certificate of Airworthiness again, after being repaired from the crash after takeoff the aircraft endured on it's maiden flight. The plane was en-route from Buenos Aires International Airport, and has performed 2 go-arounds prior to the crash.

### **Cause of Crash**

The two aircraft had just initiated go-arounds, after failing to adequately line up and reduce speed before the runway in time, and as such they both banked towards the south of the runway. Due to ATC being offline, the two aircraft were monitoring UNICOM and reporting their positions to each other through voice and through the DynMap. It was on the DynMap where the pilot of CHF-001 detected that the two aircraft were on a crash course, and as such, began climbing to get out of the way. The pilot of CHF-001 instructed the pilot of GNS28 to "DESCEND NOW", however this instruction was ignored, and the plane continued climbing.

The two planes collided at 19:16.46, with CHF-001 having it's propellor cut and engine stall as a result of the wing of GNS28 obstructing it's rotation path. The right rear landing gear of CHF-001 suffered major damage, as did the rear of the aircraft, as it contacted GNS28's fuselage. This rendered CHF-001 uncontrollable and the aircraft began banking down towards the sea. GNS28 suffered minor loss of control due to the damaged wing and fuselage, but was able to make an emergency landing on Runway 07. CHF-001 proceeded to crash into the ocean, killing the pilot and the plane exploded and was declared an instant write-off.

### **Contributing Factors**

As Punta Tierras International Airport had recently been upgraded and slightly redesigned, with the introduction of takeoff/landing runway guide lights amongst other things, the pilots initiated multiple go-arounds due to them being unfamiliar with the airports new layout and landing patterns. As a result, this caused confusion, and caused the two planes to crash.

GNS28 initiated a right hand pattern, while CHF-001 initiated a left hand pattern. The protocol at Punta Tierras is to initiate a left hand pattern, which GNS28 has initiated two times before. For unknown reasons, the pilot decided to initiate a right hand pattern, lining them up for a crash.

The instruction to "DESCEND NOW" issued by CHF-001 was received by GNS28, however they decided to ignore the instruction.

### **Outcome and Recommendations**

The killing of the pilot of CHF-001 in such a brutal way has impacted the aviation scene in Cape Horn, with Punta Tierras International Airport closing as a result of the crash. As a result of GNS28 ignoring the "DESCEND NOW" instruction, a reckless action that proved fatal, the pilot is currently wanted in the Cape Horn Federation for manslaughter. He fled the country before an arrest warrant was issued, however.

This leads the UNAA and other governing bodies to:

* Request that the ATC facilities be upgraded at Punta Tierras International Airport
* The go-around procedures at Punta Tierras International Airport be published publicly, so that this never happens again.