Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 225; Flight Crew Total 7600; Flight Crew Type 4500
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction; Physiological - Other
Conflict NMAC; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure
My student and I departed to go over the coast and practice a few maneuvers and then go into ZZZ for a few landings. Student made her requisite calls starting at 10 miles out in bound for over flight to enter on the right 45 for Runway 30. The wind was approximately a 15 KT wind. We made two landings including making all the recommended calls on each leg. When we were ready to take off again we spotted an aircraft on the runway in the reverse direction heading toward the 30 numbers. We immediately stopped; waited for the aircraft to turn around and taxi off the runway; and then we took off.Shortly thereafter we realized that the volume had been turned down; so my student turned it up and heard someone saying 'Cessna XXXXX are you on frequency.' She responded 'I am now' and continued to make a downwind call. Then someone said we have been trying to reach you as an aircraft had an emergency. Student said she was sorry she had the volume down; but was on now.Next we turned crosswind and she made her announcement. Then someone with a very aggressive loud voice said; 'CESSNA XXXXX IS THERE A CFI ON BOARD?' She now announced she was on final and the voice stepped on her call and said; 'XXXXX DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD.' So she made her announcement again and was stepped on again with; 'DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD.' So while trying to set up for landing she made an announcement again and we heard; 'XXXXX DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD.' This is where it started to become unsafe; a threatening; harassing voice while we were landing the airplane. Student landed the airplane; did a touch and go; announced her crosswind and the aggressive voice said again; 'XXXXX DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD?' (The voice was just about yelling at this point).I had no intention of answering this aggressive; threatening voice as now I just wanted to get out of there; so I told my student lets depart on downwind. At this point I heard the tail number YYYYY from X Club associated with this voice and then guessed it was TTTTT. Student made her final call saying she was on downwind 30 and was departing the area. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF THE ISSUE AT HAF.Again the aggressive voice said; 'XXXXX DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD?' Then in a few more seconds he said; 'I'm going to catch her.' Another pilot said she is responding; she is on frequency (implying why are you doing that?) And he said again; 'I am going to catch her.' While following us down the coast he repeated; 'XXXXX DO YOU HAVE A CFI' ON BOARD several more times? He must have said this 15 - 20 times. Now I am watching TIS to see if anyone is coming up behind us. I see on TIS someone at 1 o'clock; 300 FT above us; not very far away. Student starts pointing and I asked what?  She couldn't speak. So as I looked up to the right; I saw the aircraft drop its left wing; descend and head straight for us. I immediately took the controls; cut the power and started a descent to the left to avoid a collision. I then leveled off and saw the aircraft on TIS coming up behind us; 100 FT above us and according to TIS just about on top of us. Meanwhile TIS is saying TRAFFIC; TRAFFIC; TRAFFIC over and over. At this point I said; 'TTTTT; get off our butts and stop acting like the FAA and the police.' He said something that I don't remember; and I repeated the same thing and I said; 'since you know the aircraft; take this up on the ground not in the air.'We arrived at our home airport shortly after he did and someone was still at YYYYY; but then disappeared and was not in the office.Student and I were so rattled we stayed for an hour talking about this and writing down what happened. This was clearly a deliberate act of aggression; total disregard for safety; completely reckless and negligent; with loss of separation. It was scary and we were both shaking. This was the closest I have ever come to another aircraft in the air. This was ROAD RAGE in the air to the furthest extent; TTTTT was out of control. This incident is as bad as it gets without actually having a collision. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to EVER; EVER; EVER do anything like this.
My CFI and I left and flew along the coast to practice maneuvers and then headed to ZZZ (non-towered) for practice landings. CFI had turned down radio volume after we left our home airport; which I didn't realize. I made appropriate voluntary calls coming in to ZZZ (10 miles out; 5 miles out; over the runway at 2;000 FT; on the 45 for right 30; etc.). No other planes were in the area.After 2 practice landings/takeoffs; when taxied up to runway; noticed plane on the runway; so waited for it to back taxi and then get off at exit. Took off again. Given that we hadn't heard them talking; CFI checked volume and noticed it was down; turned it up. As on downwind; another pilot asked; 'XXXX; are you on frequency?' I said I was now; apologized; and continued to make my downwind call. At that point; the other pilot (a pilot in the air; not the one on the ground) said in a loud and belligerent voice; 'DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD?' My CFI instructed me to fly my airplane and land safely; so just as I started to announce I was on right base; the other pilot again said; DO YOU HAVE A CFI WITH YOU? He kept repeating this; stepping on my calls; as I announced I was on final. The pilot with the plane on the ground announced; 'Hey; she's on frequency;' which I interpreted to mean that he was telling the pilot in the air to calm down. The pilot in the air then said calmly; 'I recognize the tail number; it's a plane from my club.' I thought that would be the end of it; but as I did a touch and go; the pilot in the air kept saying in a louder and louder voice; 'DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD?' At that point; we decided to leave the area and cut short our practice as the pilot in the air was clearly being aggressive and trying to rattle me as I landed and that it wasn't safe for me to keep practicing. He must have shouted the same question 10+ times while I was in the pattern; and as I made my departing calls. At that point; my CFI recognized the other pilot's voice and told me who it was and that he was a CFI at the same club we belong to.When I announced I was leaving the area; the pilot in the air shouted; 'I'M GOING TO CATCH HER!' The pilot on the ground said; 'Whoa; she's on frequency;' again which I took to mean he was trying to calm down the pilot in the air. The pilot in the air repeated; 'I'M GOING TO CATCH HER!' I had no idea what he meant when he said he was going to catch me; what he intended to do to me and my plane in the air. My CFI instructed me to fly down the coast rather than going over the ridge. As we were flying along; I saw a plane at the same elevation; to the west of us. It turned its wings and I assumed it was doing that so I could see it but then I realized it had turned and was flying straight at us. I kept pointing at it; as I couldn't get my voice to work -- I was literally speechless. My CFI glanced to the right; saw it; just as TIS started going off saying; TRAFFIC; TRAFFIC. The other pilot was still repeating; 'DO YOU HAVE A CFI ON BOARD;' over and over. When it was clear he was not going to deviate from his course (and I was thinking that if I turned the plane to the right and upward; I would be in his path); my CFI took the controls and turned our plane down and to the right as he came at us.What I didn't realize was that he had turned back so he was right on our tail; but my CFI knew where he was and TIS kept going off and showing that he was 100 FT above us and it looked like the two planes were on top of each other. At that point; my CFI got on the radio and said firmly; 'XXXX [his name]; get off our butt; you aren't the FAA or the police;' and the other pilot said; 'I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP A BROTHER;' which later I realized perhaps referred to the pilot that was on the runway that I waited for before I took off for the third time at ZZZ. My CFI said calmly; 'XXXX; we will talk about it on the ground;' and then the other pilot said; 'BUT SHE WAS OFF FREQUENCY;' and my CFI again said calmly; 'We will talk about it on the ground; you know who we are.' We continued south and then headed for our home airport; and heard the other pilot also calling in to land before us.When we landed; the other pilot was not around. My CFI and I sat down to talk; and both of us were extremely rattled by the whole experience -- to have another pilot announce they are going to 'catch you' in the air and then to have them fly directly at you was incredibly scary. I will never forget the amount of aggression in the other pilot's voice; his complete loss of control (even as a third pilot was pointing out that all was OK and trying to calm down the situation); his deliberately flying his plane at ours and then coming up on our tail -- all I could think of was that this was some sort of 'air rage' and that we were all lucky to have walked away from our planes. To know this person is a CFI is mind-boggling and the club's record showed he had a student with him. I've also reported this incident to the club.
A student pilot and instructor were verbally harassed by a pilot after landing with a low radio volume and missing another aircraft's call. The harassment resulted in an intentional near miss after departing the traffic pattern.