Narrative:

Place: buckeye municipal airport, buckeye, az. Final approach, runway 17. Less than 1/2 mi from the threshold. Ht approximately 150-200 ft AGL. Reporter was at the approach end of runway 17, serving as 'runway watch,' while his student pilot was performing his first solo flight. The other aircraft was a yellow piper J-3 cub, XXXB on a 'modified straight-in approach' to runway 17. There was no flight plan on my student's flight, as this was a supervised solo flight. It is unknown whether the other aircraft was, or had been on a flight plan. The altimeter setting at the time was approximately 29.78. The WX was VMC, with unlimited ceiling and visibility. The winds were variable from about 150-190 degrees magnetic, at about 12 KTS. Aircraft #1: beechcraft F33A bonanza, yellow, XXXA, heading approximately 170 degrees, established on final runway 17, and operating in the right traffic pattern per established airport procedure. (Airport facility directory, and traffic pattern indicator.) aircraft #2: piper J-3 cub, yellow, XXXB, approaching the airport from a low altitude, heading approximately 190 degrees on a dog-leg final approach from the left side. Both aircraft were descending to the runway for landing purposes. My duties at the time of this incident were to act as runway watch, while my student was on his first supervised solo flight. I had a portable 2-WAY radio on the CTAF frequency of 122.8, binoculars, and a flare gun for safety purposes. My student, while on downwind, observed that he was too close to the aircraft ahead of him on right downwind, and reported that he was extending downwind to follow the traffic. When he turned right base, he gain reported his position. As he turned final, I checked his confign (gear down, flaps 15 degrees, per company procedure). After this check, I turned to check the runway, as the previous aircraft was executing a touch-and-go. Once the runway was clear, I turned back to monitor the student's approach. I then saw the J-3 cub immediately ahead, slightly left of, and slightly below the bonanza. Nearly simultaneously, the pilot of the J-3 made his first radio call, 'buckeye traffic, this is piper cub XXXB landing runway 17 buckeye, need to take it in.' at first sighting, the aircraft were probably less than 100 ft apart. I made an urgent call, 'bonanza, go around, go around, traffic in front of you, go around!' my student later told me he saw the J-3 the second time I said 'go around,' and he started evasive action by pulling up and going around, as he was still very slightly over the J-3. Much too close! After landing, the pilot of the J-3 advised that he was 'clearing the runway, thank you very much.' I told him that he had cut out another aircraft on final, but he did not respond. He taxied to the ramp area, and appeared to park in a covered parking space. There were no injuries, but it certainly could have been worse! This incident was witnessed by my other student, who was standing next to me at the time, and 2 other instructors, one who was on downwind, and the other on crosswind, also in right closed traffic. Several points about this incident disturb me: the aircraft has a working radio, as evidenced by the call on short final. Why was that the first call? (The other 2 instructors confirmed that there was no previous call.) there were 3 bonanzas in right closed traffic, all making standard radio xmissions. The aircraft is apparently based at buckeye airport. The direction of the traffic pattern is, and has been for several yrs, right traffic for runway 17. Part of his transmission was, '...I need to take it in.' did he want/need priority? Any transmission from another aircraft would make me aware of that aircraft, and I would have instructed our aircraft to give way, no matter what kind of pattern they wish to fly! This particular j- 3 has been observed regularly entering the pattern from the wrong direction, at very low altitudes, and frequently without using the radio, by a number of our staff instructors.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC, TFC PATTERN PROC, PLT Y CUTS IN FRONT OF PLT X AT AN UNCTLED ARPT AND HAS AN NMAC.

Narrative: PLACE: BUCKEYE MUNICIPAL ARPT, BUCKEYE, AZ. FINAL APCH, RWY 17. LESS THAN 1/2 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD. HT APPROX 150-200 FT AGL. RPTR WAS AT THE APCH END OF RWY 17, SERVING AS 'RWY WATCH,' WHILE HIS STUDENT PLT WAS PERFORMING HIS FIRST SOLO FLT. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A YELLOW PIPER J-3 CUB, XXXB ON A 'MODIFIED STRAIGHT-IN APCH' TO RWY 17. THERE WAS NO FLT PLAN ON MY STUDENT'S FLT, AS THIS WAS A SUPERVISED SOLO FLT. IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER THE OTHER ACFT WAS, OR HAD BEEN ON A FLT PLAN. THE ALTIMETER SETTING AT THE TIME WAS APPROX 29.78. THE WX WAS VMC, WITH UNLIMITED CEILING AND VISIBILITY. THE WINDS WERE VARIABLE FROM ABOUT 150-190 DEGS MAGNETIC, AT ABOUT 12 KTS. ACFT #1: BEECHCRAFT F33A BONANZA, YELLOW, XXXA, HDG APPROX 170 DEGS, ESTABLISHED ON FINAL RWY 17, AND OPERATING IN THE R TFC PATTERN PER ESTABLISHED ARPT PROC. (ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY, AND TFC PATTERN INDICATOR.) ACFT #2: PIPER J-3 CUB, YELLOW, XXXB, APCHING THE ARPT FROM A LOW ALT, HDG APPROX 190 DEGS ON A DOG-LEG FINAL APCH FROM THE L SIDE. BOTH ACFT WERE DSNDING TO THE RWY FOR LNDG PURPOSES. MY DUTIES AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT WERE TO ACT AS RWY WATCH, WHILE MY STUDENT WAS ON HIS FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO FLT. I HAD A PORTABLE 2-WAY RADIO ON THE CTAF FREQ OF 122.8, BINOCULARS, AND A FLARE GUN FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. MY STUDENT, WHILE ON DOWNWIND, OBSERVED THAT HE WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE ACFT AHEAD OF HIM ON R DOWNWIND, AND RPTED THAT HE WAS EXTENDING DOWNWIND TO FOLLOW THE TFC. WHEN HE TURNED R BASE, HE GAIN RPTED HIS POS. AS HE TURNED FINAL, I CHKED HIS CONFIGN (GEAR DOWN, FLAPS 15 DEGS, PER COMPANY PROC). AFTER THIS CHK, I TURNED TO CHK THE RWY, AS THE PREVIOUS ACFT WAS EXECUTING A TOUCH-AND-GO. ONCE THE RWY WAS CLR, I TURNED BACK TO MONITOR THE STUDENT'S APCH. I THEN SAW THE J-3 CUB IMMEDIATELY AHEAD, SLIGHTLY L OF, AND SLIGHTLY BELOW THE BONANZA. NEARLY SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE PLT OF THE J-3 MADE HIS FIRST RADIO CALL, 'BUCKEYE TFC, THIS IS PIPER CUB XXXB LNDG RWY 17 BUCKEYE, NEED TO TAKE IT IN.' AT FIRST SIGHTING, THE ACFT WERE PROBABLY LESS THAN 100 FT APART. I MADE AN URGENT CALL, 'BONANZA, GAR, GAR, TFC IN FRONT OF YOU, GAR!' MY STUDENT LATER TOLD ME HE SAW THE J-3 THE SECOND TIME I SAID 'GAR,' AND HE STARTED EVASIVE ACTION BY PULLING UP AND GOING AROUND, AS HE WAS STILL VERY SLIGHTLY OVER THE J-3. MUCH TOO CLOSE! AFTER LNDG, THE PLT OF THE J-3 ADVISED THAT HE WAS 'CLRING THE RWY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.' I TOLD HIM THAT HE HAD CUT OUT ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL, BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND. HE TAXIED TO THE RAMP AREA, AND APPEARED TO PARK IN A COVERED PARKING SPACE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, BUT IT CERTAINLY COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE! THIS INCIDENT WAS WITNESSED BY MY OTHER STUDENT, WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME AT THE TIME, AND 2 OTHER INSTRUCTORS, ONE WHO WAS ON DOWNWIND, AND THE OTHER ON XWIND, ALSO IN R CLOSED TFC. SEVERAL POINTS ABOUT THIS INCIDENT DISTURB ME: THE ACFT HAS A WORKING RADIO, AS EVIDENCED BY THE CALL ON SHORT FINAL. WHY WAS THAT THE FIRST CALL? (THE OTHER 2 INSTRUCTORS CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS CALL.) THERE WERE 3 BONANZAS IN R CLOSED TFC, ALL MAKING STANDARD RADIO XMISSIONS. THE ACFT IS APPARENTLY BASED AT BUCKEYE ARPT. THE DIRECTION OF THE TFC PATTERN IS, AND HAS BEEN FOR SEVERAL YRS, R TFC FOR RWY 17. PART OF HIS XMISSION WAS, '...I NEED TO TAKE IT IN.' DID HE WANT/NEED PRIORITY? ANY XMISSION FROM ANOTHER ACFT WOULD MAKE ME AWARE OF THAT ACFT, AND I WOULD HAVE INSTRUCTED OUR ACFT TO GIVE WAY, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF PATTERN THEY WISH TO FLY! THIS PARTICULAR J- 3 HAS BEEN OBSERVED REGULARLY ENTERING THE PATTERN FROM THE WRONG DIRECTION, AT VERY LOW ALTS, AND FREQUENTLY WITHOUT USING THE RADIO, BY A NUMBER OF OUR STAFF INSTRUCTORS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.