Aircraft proximity event - Cessna 182P, VH-MST and Schempp-Hirth, VH-ULZ, 9 km west of Toowoomba Airport, Queensland, on 25 September 2011

On 25 September 2011, the pilot of a Cessna Aircraft Company 182, registered VH-MST (MST) was inbound to Toowoomba, Queensland (Qld) from Roma, Qld.  At the same time, a Schempp-Hirth Ventus 2c glider, registered VH-ULZ (ULZ) was competing in the Qld State Soaring championships and thermalling west of Toowoomba on track for Jimbour.

Whilst on descent through 4,000 ft the pilot of MST sighted a glider between 300 m and 500 m in front and at the same level.  The glider was heading directly for MST and the pilot was required to take evasive action. 

The distance between the two aircraft was estimated at 100m horizontally.

The incident highlights the need for pilots to apply the principles of 'see-and-avoid' in combination with an active listening watch on the appropriate radio frequency. Furthermore, simply having a radio is no guarantee of safety. It is imperative that pilots broadcast their position and intentions, for the performance of the more effective 'alerted see-and-avoid'.