This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
The pilot of the high-wing, single-engine aircraft was flying near a recently started fire in an attempt to report the position of the fire to ATC.
Knowing that the air base at the nearby airport would likely be sending tankers soon, the pilot was monitoring CTAF on a handheld radio.
The pilot did not hear the radio calls from the spotter plane reporting their takeoff and destination.
Looking out the right window at the fire, the pilot of Aircraft X did not see the inbound aircraft from the left until it passed close underneath. The pilot of Aircraft X immediately began a maximum performance climb to vacate the airspace.
In the future, the pilot will avoid any smoke plumes to give clearance to firefighting aircraft.
In addition to more frequent visual checks around all sides of the aircraft, the pilot will invest in an ADSB-In receiver to further increase situational awareness.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2143036
When you click on the link it will take you to the ASRS Online Database. Click on Report Number and put the ACN in the search box, then click Search. On that page, click on “view only the 1 most recent report.”
