Narrative:

Morning of aug/sat/02, a series of bad sits. Overall glider operations proceeded normally. PA25 tow pilot and I established radio communications before starting. Around XA00 a glider training flight (student plus cfig) was hooked to PA25 and launched. Tow pilot announced takeoff on our field operations frequency, then started rolling. Then with no warning the PA18 taxied out from the hangar 3/4 of the way downfield, moved directly across in front of the PA25 tow, then slowed down. PA25 continued his takeoff but seemed to divert a bit sideways to go by side of the apparently now-stopped PA18, then PA18 continued moving. PA25 appeared to divert again and the tow had very close pass to another glider sitting on ground at other end of field. This other glider had just landed from a check ride flight. Normally the PA25 takeoff would have gone well to the side of it. The dpe from that flight was standing by the glider and called me on the radio to complain strongly about overly close pass. I did not talk to tow pilot, but it appeared to me that the PA18 pulled out at the worst point on roll for options to abort. The cfig told me he did grab release when he saw PA18 then considered it may be safer continuing tow. The PA18 then flew takeoffs and lndgs for about 1.5 hours, and during this time made no radio xmissions and apparently heard none. On one of its first takeoffs it turned a short crosswind and entered downwind directly below the returning PA25, which had just announced established on downwind and was clearly visible to people on the ground. Personally, I think it should have been visible to the PA18 pilots on crosswind. Eventually the PA18 parked on the taxiway directly next to the runway, right at approach end. We prefer no parking here because it effectively blocks the runway for a tow plane, which lands with a 200+ ft long tow rope attached, which is a significant hazard whipping around. I went over to PA18 and requested pilots to move plane as soon as possible. Instead PA18 pilots stood by plane and informed me I was 'confused' and 'crazy,' that there was absolutely no hazard from a tow rope hanging from a landing airplane. Analysis: this situation, with the PA18 explicitly refusing to comply with established procedures and flight operations manager requests in a busy traffic pattern (with mostly student pilots, as they knew) and repeatedly creating conflict sits that other pilots were entirely required to solve, was overly dangerous and completely unnecessary. I should have stopped it much sooner. I made a significant mistake in not grounding the PA18 pilots after they refused to comply with my first request. I gratuitously took on the responsibility of monitoring the PA18's traffic and reporting their position for them, which was not my responsibility and interfered significantly with my other responsibilities, which were important.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA18 PLTS AT UNCTLED ARPT HAVE RWY INCURSION.

Narrative: MORNING OF AUG/SAT/02, A SERIES OF BAD SITS. OVERALL GLIDER OPS PROCEEDED NORMALLY. PA25 TOW PLT AND I ESTABLISHED RADIO COMS BEFORE STARTING. AROUND XA00 A GLIDER TRAINING FLT (STUDENT PLUS CFIG) WAS HOOKED TO PA25 AND LAUNCHED. TOW PLT ANNOUNCED TKOF ON OUR FIELD OPS FREQ, THEN STARTED ROLLING. THEN WITH NO WARNING THE PA18 TAXIED OUT FROM THE HANGAR 3/4 OF THE WAY DOWNFIELD, MOVED DIRECTLY ACROSS IN FRONT OF THE PA25 TOW, THEN SLOWED DOWN. PA25 CONTINUED HIS TKOF BUT SEEMED TO DIVERT A BIT SIDEWAYS TO GO BY SIDE OF THE APPARENTLY NOW-STOPPED PA18, THEN PA18 CONTINUED MOVING. PA25 APPEARED TO DIVERT AGAIN AND THE TOW HAD VERY CLOSE PASS TO ANOTHER GLIDER SITTING ON GND AT OTHER END OF FIELD. THIS OTHER GLIDER HAD JUST LANDED FROM A CHK RIDE FLT. NORMALLY THE PA25 TKOF WOULD HAVE GONE WELL TO THE SIDE OF IT. THE DPE FROM THAT FLT WAS STANDING BY THE GLIDER AND CALLED ME ON THE RADIO TO COMPLAIN STRONGLY ABOUT OVERLY CLOSE PASS. I DID NOT TALK TO TOW PLT, BUT IT APPEARED TO ME THAT THE PA18 PULLED OUT AT THE WORST POINT ON ROLL FOR OPTIONS TO ABORT. THE CFIG TOLD ME HE DID GRAB RELEASE WHEN HE SAW PA18 THEN CONSIDERED IT MAY BE SAFER CONTINUING TOW. THE PA18 THEN FLEW TKOFS AND LNDGS FOR ABOUT 1.5 HRS, AND DURING THIS TIME MADE NO RADIO XMISSIONS AND APPARENTLY HEARD NONE. ON ONE OF ITS FIRST TKOFS IT TURNED A SHORT XWIND AND ENTERED DOWNWIND DIRECTLY BELOW THE RETURNING PA25, WHICH HAD JUST ANNOUNCED ESTABLISHED ON DOWNWIND AND WAS CLRLY VISIBLE TO PEOPLE ON THE GND. PERSONALLY, I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE TO THE PA18 PLTS ON XWIND. EVENTUALLY THE PA18 PARKED ON THE TXWY DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE RWY, RIGHT AT APCH END. WE PREFER NO PARKING HERE BECAUSE IT EFFECTIVELY BLOCKS THE RWY FOR A TOW PLANE, WHICH LANDS WITH A 200+ FT LONG TOW ROPE ATTACHED, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD WHIPPING AROUND. I WENT OVER TO PA18 AND REQUESTED PLTS TO MOVE PLANE ASAP. INSTEAD PA18 PLTS STOOD BY PLANE AND INFORMED ME I WAS 'CONFUSED' AND 'CRAZY,' THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO HAZARD FROM A TOW ROPE HANGING FROM A LNDG AIRPLANE. ANALYSIS: THIS SIT, WITH THE PA18 EXPLICITLY REFUSING TO COMPLY WITH ESTABLISHED PROCS AND FLT OPS MGR REQUESTS IN A BUSY TFC PATTERN (WITH MOSTLY STUDENT PLTS, AS THEY KNEW) AND REPEATEDLY CREATING CONFLICT SITS THAT OTHER PLTS WERE ENTIRELY REQUIRED TO SOLVE, WAS OVERLY DANGEROUS AND COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IT MUCH SOONER. I MADE A SIGNIFICANT MISTAKE IN NOT GROUNDING THE PA18 PLTS AFTER THEY REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH MY FIRST REQUEST. I GRATUITOUSLY TOOK ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MONITORING THE PA18'S TFC AND RPTING THEIR POS FOR THEM, WHICH WAS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY AND INTERFERED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH MY OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES, WHICH WERE IMPORTANT.

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.