Towplane-Baron accident

On Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 7:50:49 PM UTC-7, Jp Stewart wrote:
Odd circumstance: http://www.lagrangenews.com/news/hom...llaway-Airport

JP

A question that has come to mind that I haven't seen discussed yet is one of visibility. How is a civilian airport even allowed to operate where two intersecting runways are in place where you can't see one from the other? I'm no expert here, but that just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen (which it did, in this case). Also (not a radio expert here) is the CTAF one that needs "line of sight" for the signal to be transmitted, or can the radio waves bend around land obstructions? Could it be that the land that obscures the view of the end of the other intersecting runway, could also obscure the transmission of radio waves, thus explaining why no one at the FBO or that both aircraft didn't hear each other's radio transmissions?

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 7:53:01 PM UTC-7, John Foster wrote:
On Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 7:50:49 PM UTC-7, Jp Stewart wrote:
Odd circumstance: http://www.lagrangenews.com/news/hom...llaway-Airport

JP

A question that has come to mind that I haven't seen discussed yet is one of visibility. How is a civilian airport even allowed to operate where two intersecting runways are in place where you can't see one from the other? I'm no expert here, but that just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen (which it did, in this case). Also (not a radio expert here) is the CTAF one that needs "line of sight" for the signal to be transmitted, or can the radio waves bend around land obstructions? Could it be that the land that obscures the view of the end of the other intersecting runway, could also obscure the transmission of radio waves, thus explaining why no one at the FBO or that both aircraft didn't hear each other's radio transmissions?

Radio communications are not 100% reliable. Pilots may be on the wrong frequency, have the squelch turned up, the volume down or step on each other. If you want to be sure, you must receive an affirmative reply. This was not done in this case, with tragic results.

Tom

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 7:53:01 PM UTC-7, John Foster wrote:
A question that has come to mind that I haven't seen discussed yet is one of visibility.
How is a civilian airport even allowed to operate where two intersecting runways are in
place where you can't see one from the other? I'm no expert here, but that just sounds
like a disaster waiting to happen (which it did, in this case).

I would wager that a high percentage of airports with intersecting runways are like this.
At my airport, Inyokern (http://www.airnav.com/airport/KIYK), if one is at the departure end of 20, neither end of 33/15 is visible. One due to hangars, the other due to brush. We can see aircraft on approach, but not on the ground.

Many airports have a hump in the center of the runway, so one can't see the other end. In calm wind conditions it's possible to have two aircraft arriving/departing in opposite directions. Just gotta do the best to maintain situation awareness, and be prepared for anything.

Tom