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GA pilot entering the traffic pattern at a non-towered airport reported a near miss with skydivers.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1651219 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201906 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | THA.Airport |
| State Reference | TN |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Cessna Twin Piston Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Approach |
| Route In Use | VFR Route |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 6 Flight Crew Total 1100 Flight Crew Type 570 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Conflict NMAC Inflight Event / Encounter Bird / Animal |
| Miss Distance | Horizontal 500 Vertical 200 |
Narrative:
I was approaching the airport from the east; an airport unfamiliar to me. There were 3-4 planes in the pattern; a helicopter hovering; and skydiving activity over the airport. I was listening to CTAF and making position reports starting about 10 miles out. The traffic was initially using runway 24 and changed to [runway] 36 as I was approaching the airport about 4-5 miles out. I set up for a midfield cross and left downwind approach to runway 36. At 1-2 miles out; I heard on the CTAF that jumpers were [near]; but I could not see them. As I crossed near the approach end of runway 36 at 1;500 feet to join the downwind for runway 36; I saw the skydivers at 2 o'clock high. I immediately began a left turn away from the jumpers to join the left downwind to runway 36; completed the pattern and landed uneventfully. After I landed; 2 members of the jump team pulled me aside and informed me that I was too close to the skydivers. They educated me on how to operate more safely at airports with skydivers; something I had never encountered before. They suggested to not fly over the field when there is jumping activity and keep a wide approach pattern away from the airport until landing and to do the same on takeoff. In retrospect; a right-hand pattern to runway 36 or a left base to runway 24 (planned originally) would have kept me safely away from the confines of the airport until on final approach and landing. I will keep these issues in mind and heed their suggestions whenever operating in the vicinity of skydiving operations in the future.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: GA pilot entering the traffic pattern at a non-towered airport reported a near miss with skydivers.
Narrative: I was approaching the airport from the east; an airport unfamiliar to me. There were 3-4 planes in the pattern; a helicopter hovering; and skydiving activity over the airport. I was listening to CTAF and making position reports starting about 10 miles out. The traffic was initially using Runway 24 and changed to [Runway] 36 as I was approaching the airport about 4-5 miles out. I set up for a midfield cross and left downwind approach to runway 36. At 1-2 miles out; I heard on the CTAF that jumpers were [near]; but I could not see them. As I crossed near the approach end of Runway 36 at 1;500 feet to join the downwind for Runway 36; I saw the skydivers at 2 o'clock high. I immediately began a left turn away from the jumpers to join the left downwind to Runway 36; completed the pattern and landed uneventfully. After I landed; 2 members of the jump team pulled me aside and informed me that I was too close to the skydivers. They educated me on how to operate more safely at airports with skydivers; something I had never encountered before. They suggested to not fly over the field when there is jumping activity and keep a wide approach pattern away from the airport until landing and to do the same on takeoff. In retrospect; a right-hand pattern to Runway 36 or a left base to Runway 24 (planned originally) would have kept me safely away from the confines of the airport until on final approach and landing. I will keep these issues in mind and heed their suggestions whenever operating in the vicinity of skydiving operations in the future.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.