Pilot rapped for flying near to parachutists

Plane took route close to daredevils’ drop zone despite spotting aircraft

A pilot has been criticised for flying near an area where people were parachuting over Dundee.

An official probe said luckily there was no risk of a collision but “see and avoid” had been only partially effective.

The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near misses, added that when the crew of the Dash 8 had seen the parachutists’ aircraft “they should have discontinued their routeing to Newcastle”.

The Dash 8 (DHC8) pilot reported that on departure on October 2 from Dundee the aerodrome controller told him about an aircraft that had been carrying parachutists in the area.

The drop zone was over Errol, about six miles south-west of Dundee airport.

A collision warning system (TCAS) then indicated “traffic, traffic” followed by “level off”. Airspeed was reduced and the pilot assessed the risk of collision as “medium”.

A Cessna 182 pilot said he had just dropped a parachutist overhead the drop zone at 3500ft and was in the climb to 9,000ft for a further drop when the incident happened.

He said Dundee Airport had cleared the DHC8 for take-off, having advised of parachute activity with a request to remain clear of the drop zone.

On climb-out from Dundee, both the DHC8 and the C182 pilots reported visual contact with each other.

The Cessna pilot’s report to the board states: “The DHC8 pilot then proceeded to turn left in accordance with his departure routeing and flew through the parachute zone at approximately 3500ft, directly over the parachutist who was still descending under canopy.

“While the DHC8 and the C182 pilots remained visual and well clear of each other, the DHC8’s flight-path suggested a lack of awareness of the position of the parachutist.”

The aircraft were logged on radar as being separated by 0.3 miles laterally and 600ft vertically.

The board said there were several lessons to be learned from the incident.

Firstly, it noted that the Dundee controller was performing the combined duties of an aerodrome and approach controller and Dundee is not equipped with surveillance equipment.

Secondly, civil air traffic control members were surprised that the controller had not warned the pilot about Errol’s activity prior to clearing him for take-off.

This would have reinforced the need for the crew to brief themselves about their route to avoid the parachute site.

It was also noted that when the DHC8 pilot was told about the C182 no mention was made that the plane would be dropping parachutists.

The board said that the DHC8 crew seemed more focused on maintaining their track towards Newcastle than trying to avoid the C182

However, it added that there had been no risk of a collision and assessed the risk as Category C.

The DHC8’s flight-path suggested a lack of awareness of the position of the parachutist