6 September 2016
A pilot of a Cessna 152 out on a general handling sortie flew through a group of eight parachutists above Chatteris Aerodrome, an active drop zone promulgated in the AIP and on the aeronautical chart.
Fortunately, the C152 missed all parachutists. The incident is reported in the latest batch of reports from the UK Airprox Board, and was reported by the pilot of the DHC-6 aircraft which dropped the parachutists.
The Chief Instructor of the Chatteris parachuting site reported that he and a few other parachutists, including the DZ controller, saw the incident. The C152 flew straight through the DZ and over the planned landing area whilst canopies were in the air. One canopy was fairly close to the aircraft but it was difficult to tell exactly how close it was. The Tandem Instructor concerned estimates that the aircraft was within 300ft of him.
The C152 said that he mis-appreciated his position with respect to the airspace around Chatteris aerodrome. He understood that the execution of this flight was not perfect.
The Airprox Board looked at the actions of the C152 pilot who seemed to have either been uncertain of his position and had inadvertently flown over the parachuting site, or was unaware of its existence. A GA member commented that modern GPS-based electronic maps were available that could either be carried in tablet form or installed as part of the aircraft avionics. These not only assist in navigation but also warn the pilot when they are too close to an avoidance area or NOTAM.
The Board [members] were unanimous that it had simply been providence that had prevented a collision with the parachutists, and that the proximity had been such that a serious risk of collision had existed; therefore, the degree of risk was assessed as Category A [the highest].
