Narrative:

During a VFR flight to columbia (O22); fire fighting air tankers were operating. I was approaching from the southeast. I could hear 2 tankers approaching from my 6 O'clock position and overtaking me at my altitude. The first passed me and I found myself sandwiched between the first one and second one. As the second was approaching from my 6 O'clock position I rocked my wings and he acknowledged on the radio that he was 6 mi southeast of O22 preparing to enter the pattern on a crosswind entry for runway 35 and had the cessna rocking the wings in sight. Besides myself; 3 other VFR aircraft were approaching O22 for landing. In order of approach: the first was a stationair; the second was a rand; I was the third; and the fourth was a skylane reporting 20 mi out. All the civilian aircraft were maneuvering to enter the pattern on the 45 degree entry position over a bridge to enter right traffic for runway 17. The air tankers were entering on the crosswind leg to fly left traffic for runway 35. The rand pilot reported that he was breaking out of the pattern and returning to the 45 degree entry point to allow the first tanker to land. He requested the tanker pilot give him a call on the radio after he had landed and then he would land. He sounded professional on the radio; but mildly flustered. As the second tanker pilot approached; he scolded the stationair and rand pilots because they were blocking each other's xmissions by transmitting simultaneously. He thought this was creating an unsafe environment. At this point I am at the 45 degree entry point. I have the stationair in sight. He is now #1 for runway 17. He is about to turn from base to final for runway 17. The rand pilot reports he is breaking out of the pattern a second time and returning to the 45 degree entry point. That would put me #2 behind the stationair; as I was entering the right downwind leg at 3100 ft MSL at the 45 degree point. Columbia airport also has a grass runway intersecting runway 17/35. It is runway 29. Ultralights and other aircraft use this strip and fly a slightly lower l-hand traffic pattern. While I was on the downwind leg; I saw what looked like an ultralight aircraft. It was below me and to the left paralleling me. It was flying very slowly; about 60 KTS. For an instant I thought it was an ultralight working the grass runway. I didn't know what type of aircraft a rand is; but I didn't expect to see an aircraft on the downwind. At this point; if I break out of the pattern with a left turn; I'll be turning blind toward the 45 degree entry point (I'm in a high wing) where the skylane will be and I'll lose sight of the tanker. I was quickly overtaking the rand with a 60 KT overtake. My instant decision: I thought the safest thing to do would be to continue; overtaking the slower aircraft to the right. The pilot of the rand berated me on the radio: 'I don't like you flying over me like that.' I said I was; 'sorry; I thought you were an ultralight making for the grass strip.' I didn't know why he hadn't broken out as he reported. No other exchanges were made. As I thought about it; that aircraft couldn't be using the grass runway because of its position on the downwind for runway 17. I have discussed this situation with other pilots and the only other way to handle this situation would have been to climb up out of the pattern. Basically; there were 6 aircraft maneuvering to land in opposite directions on the same runway. All the civilian pilots were giving way to the tankers. I believe all involved were trying to operate safely. I was not trying to gain an advantage to land before anyone else. I believe the root of the problem was the unfamiliarity of the rand pilot with the operations at columbia airport. I used to be an instructor there. He reported breaking out of the pattern twice; which added a level of confusion to the rest of the pilots. What is he doing and where is he? Time spent on the radio explaining his actions led to the frustration of the second tanker pilot by venting over to his transmission scolding the pilots. A contributing factor: I wasn't familiar with the rand type of aircraft. I didn't know what it looks like; its performance; etc. I could have spoken up on the radio but I wanted to keep my xmissions brief because there were already too many people talking.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE ACFT ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT UNCTLED O22 USING BOTH DIRECTIONS OF RWY 17/35 HAVE PREDICTABLE TFC PROBS. RPTR'S C172 AND HOMEBUILT ACFT HAVE UNACCEPTABLY CLOSE ENCOUNTER.

Narrative: DURING A VFR FLT TO COLUMBIA (O22); FIRE FIGHTING AIR TANKERS WERE OPERATING. I WAS APCHING FROM THE SE. I COULD HEAR 2 TANKERS APCHING FROM MY 6 O'CLOCK POS AND OVERTAKING ME AT MY ALT. THE FIRST PASSED ME AND I FOUND MYSELF SANDWICHED BTWN THE FIRST ONE AND SECOND ONE. AS THE SECOND WAS APCHING FROM MY 6 O'CLOCK POS I ROCKED MY WINGS AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED ON THE RADIO THAT HE WAS 6 MI SE OF O22 PREPARING TO ENTER THE PATTERN ON A XWIND ENTRY FOR RWY 35 AND HAD THE CESSNA ROCKING THE WINGS IN SIGHT. BESIDES MYSELF; 3 OTHER VFR ACFT WERE APCHING O22 FOR LNDG. IN ORDER OF APCH: THE FIRST WAS A STATIONAIR; THE SECOND WAS A RAND; I WAS THE THIRD; AND THE FOURTH WAS A SKYLANE RPTING 20 MI OUT. ALL THE CIVILIAN ACFT WERE MANEUVERING TO ENTER THE PATTERN ON THE 45 DEG ENTRY POS OVER A BRIDGE TO ENTER R TFC FOR RWY 17. THE AIR TANKERS WERE ENTERING ON THE XWIND LEG TO FLY L TFC FOR RWY 35. THE RAND PLT RPTED THAT HE WAS BREAKING OUT OF THE PATTERN AND RETURNING TO THE 45 DEG ENTRY POINT TO ALLOW THE FIRST TANKER TO LAND. HE REQUESTED THE TANKER PLT GIVE HIM A CALL ON THE RADIO AFTER HE HAD LANDED AND THEN HE WOULD LAND. HE SOUNDED PROFESSIONAL ON THE RADIO; BUT MILDLY FLUSTERED. AS THE SECOND TANKER PLT APCHED; HE SCOLDED THE STATIONAIR AND RAND PLTS BECAUSE THEY WERE BLOCKING EACH OTHER'S XMISSIONS BY XMITTING SIMULTANEOUSLY. HE THOUGHT THIS WAS CREATING AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT. AT THIS POINT I AM AT THE 45 DEG ENTRY POINT. I HAVE THE STATIONAIR IN SIGHT. HE IS NOW #1 FOR RWY 17. HE IS ABOUT TO TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL FOR RWY 17. THE RAND PLT RPTS HE IS BREAKING OUT OF THE PATTERN A SECOND TIME AND RETURNING TO THE 45 DEG ENTRY POINT. THAT WOULD PUT ME #2 BEHIND THE STATIONAIR; AS I WAS ENTERING THE R DOWNWIND LEG AT 3100 FT MSL AT THE 45 DEG POINT. COLUMBIA ARPT ALSO HAS A GRASS RWY INTERSECTING RWY 17/35. IT IS RWY 29. ULTRALIGHTS AND OTHER ACFT USE THIS STRIP AND FLY A SLIGHTLY LOWER L-HAND TFC PATTERN. WHILE I WAS ON THE DOWNWIND LEG; I SAW WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN ULTRALIGHT ACFT. IT WAS BELOW ME AND TO THE L PARALLELING ME. IT WAS FLYING VERY SLOWLY; ABOUT 60 KTS. FOR AN INSTANT I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ULTRALIGHT WORKING THE GRASS RWY. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TYPE OF ACFT A RAND IS; BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE AN ACFT ON THE DOWNWIND. AT THIS POINT; IF I BREAK OUT OF THE PATTERN WITH A L TURN; I'LL BE TURNING BLIND TOWARD THE 45 DEG ENTRY POINT (I'M IN A HIGH WING) WHERE THE SKYLANE WILL BE AND I'LL LOSE SIGHT OF THE TANKER. I WAS QUICKLY OVERTAKING THE RAND WITH A 60 KT OVERTAKE. MY INSTANT DECISION: I THOUGHT THE SAFEST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO CONTINUE; OVERTAKING THE SLOWER ACFT TO THE R. THE PLT OF THE RAND BERATED ME ON THE RADIO: 'I DON'T LIKE YOU FLYING OVER ME LIKE THAT.' I SAID I WAS; 'SORRY; I THOUGHT YOU WERE AN ULTRALIGHT MAKING FOR THE GRASS STRIP.' I DIDN'T KNOW WHY HE HADN'T BROKEN OUT AS HE RPTED. NO OTHER EXCHANGES WERE MADE. AS I THOUGHT ABOUT IT; THAT ACFT COULDN'T BE USING THE GRASS RWY BECAUSE OF ITS POS ON THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS SITUATION WITH OTHER PLTS AND THE ONLY OTHER WAY TO HANDLE THIS SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO CLB UP OUT OF THE PATTERN. BASICALLY; THERE WERE 6 ACFT MANEUVERING TO LAND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ON THE SAME RWY. ALL THE CIVILIAN PLTS WERE GIVING WAY TO THE TANKERS. I BELIEVE ALL INVOLVED WERE TRYING TO OPERATE SAFELY. I WAS NOT TRYING TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE TO LAND BEFORE ANYONE ELSE. I BELIEVE THE ROOT OF THE PROB WAS THE UNFAMILIARITY OF THE RAND PLT WITH THE OPS AT COLUMBIA ARPT. I USED TO BE AN INSTRUCTOR THERE. HE RPTED BREAKING OUT OF THE PATTERN TWICE; WHICH ADDED A LEVEL OF CONFUSION TO THE REST OF THE PLTS. WHAT IS HE DOING AND WHERE IS HE? TIME SPENT ON THE RADIO EXPLAINING HIS ACTIONS LED TO THE FRUSTRATION OF THE SECOND TANKER PLT BY VENTING OVER TO HIS XMISSION SCOLDING THE PLTS. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: I WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE RAND TYPE OF ACFT. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE; ITS PERFORMANCE; ETC. I COULD HAVE SPOKEN UP ON THE RADIO BUT I WANTED TO KEEP MY XMISSIONS BRIEF BECAUSE THERE WERE ALREADY TOO MANY PEOPLE TALKING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.