Narrative:

A PA25 flew almost directly above us while on final. The PA25 (pawnee) was dragging a tow rope behind and was in a right turn when I saw him. The tow rope probably missed my right wing by only a few ft. We were about 200 ft AGL at the time of the incident. The tow plane executed a landing following the near miss. The incident took place after a 2 hour 'thermalling' flight in a blanik sailplane. I was PIC at the time of the incident and was flying from the rear seat. A CFI with considerable experience was in the front seat. I saw the tow plane as I entered downwind for runway 36. It is normal procedure for the gliders to fly a pattern to the west of the field and power airplanes; normally just the tow planes; to fly the pattern to the east. Anyway; I saw the tow plane on downwind to the east of the airport. I checked the tow plane several times while on downwind. I last saw the tow plane just after I turned base and he appeared to be continuing on downwind. This is the last I saw of the tow plane before he passed about 10-15 ft over my right wing while on final. My assumption; on seeing him still on downwind as I was turning base; was that he had seen me and was extending to give the glider room to land. Apparently not. H07 has 2 parallel runways. The east runway is narrow and is normally used by power planes. The west runway is wide and is used by gliders. There is no distance between the runways and an obstruction at the south end of the glider runway compels gliders to hug the east side of the west runway. Supplemental information from acn 747224: the PA25 pawnee tow plane flew directly over us while I was flying with a student in the L23 blanik at highland (H07). We had just completed a great 2 hour flight and he was flying as PIC in the back seat to get some experience back there and I was in the front cockpit. We saw the tow plane on downwind while we were on base leg; but assuming he saw us; we continued our approach. All of a sudden he came directly over us no more than 15 ft and why the tow rope didn't snag a wing or aileron; I will never know. After landing; I flagged down the tow pilot; and had him stop the engine to get an explanation of his actions. When I confronted him; his comment was: 'I saw you; but I was landing on the runway and didn't think it was that close.' it is my opinion that he never saw us at all since it was as close to a midair I have ever experienced. He is a high time pilot and CFI; and I would never expect a pilot with his experience to ever do such a thing; especially when dragging a tow rope behind his airplane. The procedure is for the tow plane to fly a pattern on the east side of runway 18-36 (right base in this case to runway 36) and the gliders to fly a downwind on the west side of the runway for a l-hand base leg. Both aircraft fly to a final about the same location on final because of a house and tree to the left of the threshold of runway 36. Then the sailplanes jog to the left and land on the grass area left of the runway. The pawnee passed over the sailplane and landed on the runway while the sailplane landed without incident on the grass field.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: L23 SAILPLANE PILOT REPORTS NMAC WITH TOW PLANE ON SHORT FINAL TO H07.

Narrative: A PA25 FLEW ALMOST DIRECTLY ABOVE US WHILE ON FINAL. THE PA25 (PAWNEE) WAS DRAGGING A TOW ROPE BEHIND AND WAS IN A R TURN WHEN I SAW HIM. THE TOW ROPE PROBABLY MISSED MY R WING BY ONLY A FEW FT. WE WERE ABOUT 200 FT AGL AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE TOW PLANE EXECUTED A LNDG FOLLOWING THE NEAR MISS. THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE AFTER A 2 HR 'THERMALLING' FLT IN A BLANIK SAILPLANE. I WAS PIC AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND WAS FLYING FROM THE REAR SEAT. A CFI WITH CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE WAS IN THE FRONT SEAT. I SAW THE TOW PLANE AS I ENTERED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 36. IT IS NORMAL PROC FOR THE GLIDERS TO FLY A PATTERN TO THE W OF THE FIELD AND PWR AIRPLANES; NORMALLY JUST THE TOW PLANES; TO FLY THE PATTERN TO THE E. ANYWAY; I SAW THE TOW PLANE ON DOWNWIND TO THE E OF THE ARPT. I CHKED THE TOW PLANE SEVERAL TIMES WHILE ON DOWNWIND. I LAST SAW THE TOW PLANE JUST AFTER I TURNED BASE AND HE APPEARED TO BE CONTINUING ON DOWNWIND. THIS IS THE LAST I SAW OF THE TOW PLANE BEFORE HE PASSED ABOUT 10-15 FT OVER MY R WING WHILE ON FINAL. MY ASSUMPTION; ON SEEING HIM STILL ON DOWNWIND AS I WAS TURNING BASE; WAS THAT HE HAD SEEN ME AND WAS EXTENDING TO GIVE THE GLIDER ROOM TO LAND. APPARENTLY NOT. H07 HAS 2 PARALLEL RWYS. THE E RWY IS NARROW AND IS NORMALLY USED BY PWR PLANES. THE W RWY IS WIDE AND IS USED BY GLIDERS. THERE IS NO DISTANCE BTWN THE RWYS AND AN OBSTRUCTION AT THE S END OF THE GLIDER RWY COMPELS GLIDERS TO HUG THE E SIDE OF THE W RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 747224: THE PA25 PAWNEE TOW PLANE FLEW DIRECTLY OVER US WHILE I WAS FLYING WITH A STUDENT IN THE L23 BLANIK AT HIGHLAND (H07). WE HAD JUST COMPLETED A GREAT 2 HR FLT AND HE WAS FLYING AS PIC IN THE BACK SEAT TO GET SOME EXPERIENCE BACK THERE AND I WAS IN THE FRONT COCKPIT. WE SAW THE TOW PLANE ON DOWNWIND WHILE WE WERE ON BASE LEG; BUT ASSUMING HE SAW US; WE CONTINUED OUR APCH. ALL OF A SUDDEN HE CAME DIRECTLY OVER US NO MORE THAN 15 FT AND WHY THE TOW ROPE DIDN'T SNAG A WING OR AILERON; I WILL NEVER KNOW. AFTER LNDG; I FLAGGED DOWN THE TOW PLT; AND HAD HIM STOP THE ENG TO GET AN EXPLANATION OF HIS ACTIONS. WHEN I CONFRONTED HIM; HIS COMMENT WAS: 'I SAW YOU; BUT I WAS LNDG ON THE RWY AND DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THAT CLOSE.' IT IS MY OPINION THAT HE NEVER SAW US AT ALL SINCE IT WAS AS CLOSE TO A MIDAIR I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. HE IS A HIGH TIME PLT AND CFI; AND I WOULD NEVER EXPECT A PLT WITH HIS EXPERIENCE TO EVER DO SUCH A THING; ESPECIALLY WHEN DRAGGING A TOW ROPE BEHIND HIS AIRPLANE. THE PROC IS FOR THE TOW PLANE TO FLY A PATTERN ON THE E SIDE OF RWY 18-36 (R BASE IN THIS CASE TO RWY 36) AND THE GLIDERS TO FLY A DOWNWIND ON THE W SIDE OF THE RWY FOR A L-HAND BASE LEG. BOTH ACFT FLY TO A FINAL ABOUT THE SAME LOCATION ON FINAL BECAUSE OF A HOUSE AND TREE TO THE L OF THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 36. THEN THE SAILPLANES JOG TO THE L AND LAND ON THE GRASS AREA L OF THE RWY. THE PAWNEE PASSED OVER THE SAILPLANE AND LANDED ON THE RWY WHILE THE SAILPLANE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ON THE GRASS FIELD.

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.