Date:	Wednesday 15 June 2022
Time:	13:21
Type:	Cessna 172P Skyhawk
Owner/operator:
Registration:	N98825
MSN:	17276364
Year of manufacture:	1985
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	E of Rotterdam/The Hague Airport (RTM/EHRD) -   Netherlands
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Unknown
Departure airport:	Rotterdam/The Hague Airport (RTM/EHRD)
Destination airport:	Egelsbach Airfield (EDFE)
Investigating agency:	Dutch Safety Board
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Cessna 172S (D-EBTO) and a Cessna 172P (N98825) were involved in an airprox incident near Rotterdam/The Hague Airport (RTM).

D-EBTO flew under visual flight rules (VFR) from Münster Osnabrück Airport, Germany to RTM. The pilot followed
the standard ROMEO arrival route in the Rotterdam Control Zone (CTR) at 1,500 feet on its way to Runway 06. Meanwhile the other Cessna 172, registered as N98825, took off from Runway 06 under VFR following a standard ROMEO departure route in the Rotterdam CTR on 1,500 feet. The pilot, being the only occupant, flew to Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport in Germany.
When Runway 06 is in use, the ROMEO arrival route crosses the ROMEO departure route at 1,500 feet near the reporting point OSCAR. Both aircraft neared the crossing point at the same prescribed altitude and at the same moment. Although Air Traffic Control (ATC) had informed both pilots earlier that they had opposite traffic, both pilots did not have the other aircraft (conflicting traffic) in sight when nearing the crossing point. When D-EBTO was about to cross the ROMEO departure route, the pilot observed the N98825 at a late stage on his right and initiated an evasive action (a dive) to increase the vertical distance.
Radar data indicated that the minimum vertical separation was 250 feet (76 m) and the minimum horizontal separation was 200 metres.

Conclusions
In particular when Runway 06 is in use, a risk for a mid-air collision exists for VFR flights even when pilots adhere to standard procedures and/or instructions. As there is no mechanism in the ATC procedures preventing aircraft crossing routes of other VFR traffic at te same time and at the same altitude, simultaneous arrival and departure flights following the ROMEO procedures or following the MIKE procedures in the Rotterdam CTR are inherently unsafe. This can also be in combination with traffic flying a ‘direct route’. The crucial commonality between the current near mid-air collision and the two previous near mid-air collisions, is that in class C airspace arriving and departing VFR flights in the same sector (‘pizza slice’) were cleared or instructed such a way that there was a real risk for mid-air collisions.
The airprox between D-EBTO and N98825 occurred as both flights neared the crossing point of the VFR routes near point OSCAR at the same moment at the same prescribed altitude. Despite the provision of traffic information by Air Traffic Control (ATC), this created an increasing risk for a mid-air collision as long as the pilots had not established visual contact.
In a late stage of conflict the pilot of D-EBTO detected the conflicting aircraft after having received a traffic advisory from his traffic collision and avoidance system (TCAS). This safety net contributed to a successful evasive action.

EHRD 151025Z AUTO 08006KT 360V160 9999 NCD 22/10 Q1019 NOSIG
EHRD 151125Z AUTO 08006KT 030V120 9999 NSC 22/10 Q1019 NOSIG

https://www.onderzoeksraad.nl/nl/media/inline/2022/9/7/quarterly_aviation_report_q2_2022.pdf
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?replay=2022-06-15-11:21&lat=51.951&lon=4.534&zoom=11.9

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Sep-2022 08:03	harro	Added
15-Nov-2022 23:47	Ron Averes	Updated [Location, ]
22-Nov-2024 18:33	ASN	Updated [Time, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Narrative, Accident report, ]
23-Nov-2024 17:34	ASN	Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative, ]