Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 109; Flight Crew Total 600; Flight Crew Type 86
Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Airport; Human Factors; Procedure
I am a flight instructor who was teaching a lesson on takeoffs and landings with crosswinds and gusting winds. The ATIS reported the winds as coming from 080 degrees at 15 knots; gusting to 25 knots. The ATIS also reported LAL was using Runways 5 and 9. The flight began with us taxing with Ground to Runway 5; contacting tower that we were ready for takeoff; and holding short of Runway 5 for traffic landing Runway 9. While we were waiting for the landing traffic; I was briefing my student on the Crosswind takeoff and what to pay attention to while flying with the current winds. This is where I made my first mistake. Because of my personal familiarity with flying in LAL's traffic pattern; I know that we normally will taxi to; and take off of Runway 5 with instructions to join the downwind for Runway 9. And since the winds were gusting at 25 knots and coming from 080; I assumed Tower would give us this clearance. So I briefed my student on maintaining the crosswind correction on the controls while holding centerline for 5 during the takeoff all the way until turning downwind for Runway 9. Because I was talking; I missed part of Tower's radio call; and did not hear his instructions for after takeoff. My student made the 'clear for takeoff' transmission; but did not read-back the after takeoff instructions. Here I made my second mistake by not having either myself or my student call Tower back with the after takeoff instructions. As we began our turn from the upwind of runway 5 to left downwind for runway 9; the radio became busy with 2 or 3 other aircraft coming into LAL. This is when I made my third mistake. I reported midfield downwind; but did not state; as I should have; what Runway I was in downwind for. We received our clearance for touch and go; and I called back with our N number and cleared touch-and-go; but did not use proper radio phraseology and left out what runway we were cleared for touch-and-go on. At the point where we would want to begin our base turn for Runway 9; my student was high; fast; and off course. I was busy instructing my student with what he needed to do to fix his pattern. Here Tower called to tell us we were farther out from our pattern then we were supposed to be. I apologized for incorrectly compensating for the wind and said 'wilco' to Towers instructions to fix our course by starting an immediate left turn. What I again failed to realize was that Tower wanted us making our crosswind to downwind turn for 5; not our downwind to base turn for 9. When we were on Final for Runway 9 another aircraft that joined the pattern on extended final for 9; told tower that the cherokee in front of him was landing 9 instead of 5. This was when I first realized that something wasn't right; and that someone was making a mistake. However; I was not sure who that was. I guess I assumed that the other aircraft had me mixed up with someone else who was landing on Runway 5. I now know that I am the one that was mistaken. Tower told us to do a go around; and we immediately complied. While executing the go-around Tower asked what we were doing on 9 instead of 5. Here I confessed my mistake of thinking we were cleared for 9 not 5. Tower told us that we were cleared for 5 not 9 and had committed a runway incursion. I apologized and made sure I carefully read back every single instruction and correctly complied with them. The flight was finished without further incident; and we taxied back to parking with Tower. After the flight; I was replaying it in my head trying to figure out were the confusion came from. I replayed the radio transmissions from the flight and realized that I made the mistake before our wheels had even left the ground. And I also realized that if I would have used proper radio phraseology; with full read backs of instructions; my mistake could have been avoided; and/or discovered significantly earlier in the pattern. The factors that lead to my mistake are: my own certainty that Tower would give us the clearance I wanted; Improper Radio read backs of instructions; and my own distraction of being too busy talking and teaching instead of using sterile cockpit procedures; or asking for read backs of transmissions I only heard part of. This can be prevented from ever happening again if pilots; and CFI's follow a few simple steps. First- if you want to use a specific runway because of wind conditions; request it. Do not automatically assume Tower will give it to you because they have in the past. Second- Read back ALL clearances COMPLETELY with Runway Number and proper phraseology instead of abbreviating them. Third- If you only hear part of a radio transmission ask for Tower to read back their instructions; DO NOT assume you can guess what the rest of the instructions were! Fourth- If you are instructing be extremely careful about choosing when you are going to be instructing; and when you will be listening to what is going on around you. As an Instructor you must ALWAYS be on guard against tunnel vision. It is too easy to get lost in what your student is doing at a specific moment; and miss the larger picture. Fifth- and most importantly if you spend all of your flight time at a specific airport and are used to receiving a certain set of instructions MAKE SURE those are the instructions you are supposed to be following! The second you let a specific set of ATC instructions become a habit; you let your guard down and will miss out on vital instructions that you need; and when the clearance deviates from what you are use too.
Flight Instructor reports not hearing the after takeoff instructions prior to taking off from Runway 5 at LAL and assumes that he is to join the downwind for Runway 9 as is common. This is not correct and a go around is issued by the Tower.