Post 27 depicts where collision took place. Doesn't seem right since 18Q departed TWY A and was told to report base.
It is definitely right. A helicopter departing from TWY A would depart upwind, paralleling 30, then make their standard pattern. They just use the grass instead of the runway. The collision point would be on crosswind or downwind for the helicopter (18Q), and entering the pattern downwind for the cirrus.
The investigation will show that the controller had her eyes inside of the cab in the seconds leading up to the crash while she was issuing an IFR clearance on the ground frequency.
Yup. It would cost too much money to have proper staffing. Days like that make me wonder if it was safer before the tower. What's worse, an understaffed tower, or a bunch of pilots that may or may not be paying attention? It's seriously debatable.
Ads-b will prevent midairs like gear buzzers prevent gear up landings. See and avoid or die.
Exactly. It is a tool for our use and benefit. It is not the only tool. It does not replace other tools. It doesn't mean you don't need to look outside. It adds to our pool of information.
That said, TIS-B is not going to be effective at most airports in the pattern due to altitude and line of sight to the ground towers and ground radar. The only thing you'll see are other ADS-B equipped aircraft, which is not and never will be all of them. So nobody should ever be relying on this to give them a complete picture of everything in their way.
maybe, the altimeter setting wasnt correctly set and caused either aircraft to be higher or lower than assigned altitude. i havent read that as a possiblkity here on the thread.
Moments before the crash, the cirrus position was on the 45 approaching downwind. They were level at 1,600 (TPA + 300ft). It seems unlikely the Cirrus had their altimeter incorrect since if anything, they were high. I have no idea about the helo. It's of course a possibility as there is no evidence available right now to rule that out.
So you are going to turn without visual contact? What if the other guy turns the same way? Or you turn CFIT.
So do you propose the Cirrus should have put it into auto-hover and looked around a little more before proceeding?? He was told all three helicopters were below him. He was told to remain above 1000 (700agl) until turning base due to the helicopters. The helicopters were told to remain below 1000 (700agl) due to the cirrus entering the pattern. So not having the third helicopter in sight would not be a cause for alarm. Based on the tower's instructions, the helicopter not in sight was not a factor and never would be.
I'm completely hypothesizing now. I find it less likely that the cirrus (2ES) who was level 300 above TPA accidentally descended to 300 below TPA before even entering the pattern. What I find more likely is the helicopter (18Q) climbed too high. The earth coming up sticks out much more than the sky coming down. If someone made a mistake and busted an altitude, my personal opinion based only on the facts available today is that it was probably the helicopter.
...RIP