Airprox, Robin DR 400/140B, Beech F33A Bonanza, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, 19 March 2019
PH-SVT, a Robin DR 400/140B, received clearance from air traffic control to take off from Runway 24 at Rotterdam The Hague Airport and then leave the control zone (CTR) on a northeasterly course via the Mike departure procedure. With an instructor and student on board, the aircraft took off at 11.20 hours under visual meteorological conditions. Visibility on the ground exceeded 10 kilometres. PH-MOP, a Beech F33A Bonanza with one pilot and one passenger on board, received a similar clearance and took off one minute after the Robin. The air traffic controller notified the pilot of the Beech Bonanza that the preceding traffic was following the same departure procedure.
As he was near point Mike, the instructor on board the Robin reported on the tower frequency that there was an aircraft just ahead of him. He estimated the minimum vertical separation between both aircraft at approximately 50 feet and the lateral distance at circa 50 metres. The air traffic controller replied that the aircraft in question had just passed him and that the pilot was aware of the Robin’s position. The air traffic controller contacted the Beech Bonanza. Its pilot reported that he was passing point Mike at that exact moment, leaving the CTR. The air traffic controller notified him that his aircraft had come near the Robin. The pilot of the Beech Bonanza replied that he had not seen the Robin. Both aircraft continued on their course. No further specifics were reported.
After the flight, the pilot of the Beech Bonanza reported that he had executed a left turn after taking off and had seen an aircraft fly in the direction of Waalhaven, assuming that this aircraft would leave the CTR on a southwesterly course. The pilot then executed another left turn to fly towards point Mike, south of the A20 motorway and the adjacent railway. He had asked his passenger to keep an eye on the other aircraft so he could concentrate on oncoming traffic. According to the passenger, the other observed aircraft was at a safe distance.
The pilot of the Beech Bonanza had a private pilot licence and a valid medical certificate. He had a total flight experience of over 1,300 hours. The pilot in command of the Robin had a commercial pilot licence and a valid medical certificate. He had a total flight experience of ca. 9,700 hours.
Both flights occurred under visual flight rules (VFR) in class C airspace, where air traffic control monitors the separation between VFR traffic and so-called IFR (instrument flight rules) traffic. However, VFR traffic itself is responsible for monitoring the separation between VFR flights. Air traffic control does issue VFR traffic information and, upon request, advice to avoid traffic.
The air traffic controller knew that a Beech Bonanza such as the PH-MOP would have a higher speed than a Robin, such as the PH-SVT. For this reason, he provided traffic information about the Robin that had departed ahead of the Beech Bonanza to the latter’s pilot as he took off. He did not provide traffic information to the pilot of the Robin. The pilot of the Robin was not aware of the position of the Beech Bonanza on the same departure route and felt that the separation between the two aircraft was not safe enough.
The incident occurred because the Beech Bonanza received clearance for take-off just behind the Robin and was instructed to follow the same departure procedure. As the Beech Bonanza approached the Robin, the pilot of the Beech Bonanza did not see the other aircraft. It has not been established whether the aircraft seen by the passenger was indeed the Robin.
Providing traffic information increases the alertness of aircraft crew. In a CTR in which VFR traffic follows fixed VFR routes with small altitude differences, this contributes to an important extent to situational awareness. Pilots must realise that VFR traffic is itself responsible for monitoring separation between VFR flights in a CTR.
This serious incident was published in the Quarterly Aviation Report over the 2nd quarter of 2019.
