What happened
At about 2005 local time on 26 November 2024, a Piper Aircraft PA-28R departed Archerfield Airport runway 10L, for night VFR[1] solo circuit training under the supervision of a ground instructor. All aircraft around the aerodrome were operating under common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) procedures as it was outside of air traffic control tower hours.
Turning onto the circuit base leg, the pilot made a radio call, advising of their position and intent to conduct a touch-and-go. The aircraft subsequently turned onto final for runway 10L at about 500 ft AGL.
At around the same time as the Piper was turning onto final, the pilot of a Vulcanair P.68B operating under IFR[2] made a radio call to advise they were inbound on an area navigation (RNAV) approach to runway 10L. This prompted the pilot of the Piper to make a radio call advising they were on final for runway 10L. Both aircraft continued their approaches and made a series of radio calls to determine their respective positions. When the pilot of the Piper became aware that the 2 aircraft were likely in close proximity, they discontinued the approach and conducted a go‑around. The Vulcanair pilot continued the approach and landed without further event.
The Vulcanair pilot advised they had received a traffic report on the Piper conducting circuits when they became visual with the aerodrome but reported that they did not attempt to establish communication with the Piper before continuing the final stages of the approach.
Recorded ADS-B data showed that the 2 aircraft came within about 37 m horizontally and 50 ft vertically, before the Piper discontinued the approach. Neither pilot reported establishing visual contact with the other aircraft.
Safety message
This incident highlights the importance of situational awareness and effective communication when making and monitoring radio calls over the CTAF, to coordinate separation with others during times of aerodrome tower closure.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s AC 91-10 v1.3 provides further guidance on procedures that, when followed, will improve situational awareness and safety for all pilots flying in the vicinity of non-controlled aerodromes or outside of air traffic control tower hours.
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.
[1] Visual flight rules (VFR): A set of regulations that permit a pilot to operate an aircraft only in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going.
[2] Instrument flight rules (IFR): A set of regulations that permit the pilot to operate an aircraft in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which have much lower weather minimums than visual flight rules (VFR). Procedures and training are significantly more complex as a pilot must demonstrate competency in IMC while controlling the aircraft solely by reference to instruments. IFR-capable aircraft have greater equipment and maintenance requirements.