Still bothers me that this collision occurred while one aircraft was flying the ILS and one was making a VFR approach. Fortunately I'm in the position where I don't ever find myself doing an ILS outside of controlled airspace!! You do expect certain protections though surely, particularly at a time when workload can be very high. Lookout may be brief and at random intervals (even with 2 crew) making it very difficult to spot the constant bearing target! At other airfields Tower always passes circuit traffic information so we can attempt to spot them. Normally the VFR traffic is second to us and will have to pick us up visually before they can continue. Frightening that 2 aircraft can be on approach to the same runway both in radio contact with the tower and meet in mid air!! I hate to say it but I do think the IFR traffic should take precedent and VFR traffic should be instructed to follow us when we are both coming in at the same time. One aircraft on instruments, one visually operating, makes sense but those instructions need to come from somewhere....ATC.
Could this just be a horrible set of circumstances where both aircraft were in blind spots to one another? How then can you totally rely on the mark one eyeball? If you are practising an ILS calibration you cannot weave down the approach to look beneath you to the sides!
This is a dreadful accident and I wonder if it may lead to a review of some airspace's around the UK. Any loss of life is dreadful be it 5 in a 402/KR2 or 150 in a 737. Could this lead to GA being moved further out of the way???? Would be a shame but......! The press would have had a field day had it been a 737!
The findings from the AAIB may make quite sobering reading. Sad day indeed.
Last edited by one post only!; 19th Aug 2008 at 13:17.