A flight bound for Southern Pines spent nearly half an hour circling over southern Moore County on Monday night after confusion on the ground left the crew unable to safely land.
The airport is a non-controlled field, meaning there is no staffed control tower. Pilots communicate with each other and with air traffic control as needed. However, weather conditions Monday night required flights to operate under IFR, or Instrument Flight Rules.
Under IFR, air traffic controllers must maintain separation between aircraft that are landing or departing. FAA regulations require that an arriving aircraft cancel its IFR flight plan once it is safely on the ground and clear of the runway. If that does not happen, controllers must assume the aircraft is still on the runway or in the runway environment, which prevents any other IFR arrivals or departures at the airport.
Officials say the issue Monday began when a plane that had just landed failed to make that required call. As a result, another plane approaching from Raleigh-Durham International Airport could not be cleared to land and was instructed to hold in a circling pattern over the county.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office was called to the airport to confirm whether the first aircraft was still on or near the runway. Deputies searched the grounds, but found no plane blocking operations.
Flight tracking data shows the circling plane eventually diverted back to RDU once it became clear the situation would not be resolved quickly.
Officials say there is no indication the first pilot had any issues landing. It is believed the radio call was simply overlooked, which forced delays and investigative procedures to confirm the runway was safe.
