Transient jet pilot does a 150 MPH donut over Benson Hill; gets chastised by tower

This flight trace shows the path of a jet pilot on final approach into Renton field on Monday. The 150 mile per hour loop, about 900 feet above homes, was not approved by Air Traffic Control.

Benson Hill residents got a preview of what’s to come with Renton’s new Jet refueling center.

A twin-engine Cessna Citation jet landing in Renton from out of state on Monday afternoon made an unauthorized 150 MPH circle about 900 feet above Renton’s Benson Hill neighborhood.  The abrupt high speed loop, which interrupted Renton’s busy traffic pattern, earned the pilot an immediate rebuke from the controller in the tower.

The Citation jet pilot was first asked by the controller to slow down multiple times. “Where are you going?” the controller in the tower asks the pilot urgently, as he began his loop.  To another pilot the controller says “I’m not sure what he is doing.”   “WHAT are you doing?” she asks the jet pilot again.    “Looking for spacing.” comes the pilot’s response.  “OK that traffic is well out of your way, was well out of your way, turning out of your way  You CANNOT  do something like that on final without letting us know” she says firmly.

Both before and after the pilot’s unauthorized and risky donut in the sky, the busy controller can be heard directing at least two piston-powered aircraft into 360-degree turns in the pattern for spacing. As she states clearly, she had cleared the runway for the incoming jet, and certainly did not need him improvising a loop around South Renton while making a 150 MPH/130 Knots approach.

Just a few days ago the Mayor had issued a memo asuring residents the Jet Center would not create any issues, even though the Jet Center owner’s business plan says they intend to market fuel to jet aircraft flying through our state. This unapproved wayward loop over Benson Hill, while local piston-engine aircraft were in the Renton traffic pattern, shows we should expect local resident and pilot complaints from this change.

My point is not to create trouble for this pilot, but instead to provide an example of the new set of concerns that arise with such a significant change in the use of our airport.  We’re going to see more transient aircraft, and more mixing of jets with propeller-driven aircraft.  The Renton Airport Advisory Committee (RAAC) was formed to address issues like this, and it was not been given an opportunity to be included in this decision. I’ve left the airplane ID and the recorded air traffic control file out of this blog entry, since the air traffic controller obviously knows what happened, and she’s the one who can best judge whether anything more should be said to the pilot. I personally transcribed the ATC conversation, and I have kept the complete records.

Please encourage our elective officials to fully support the RAAC again, and refer future airport agenda items to them for advice. Also ask officials to read and study the Airport Sustainability Plan.  Let them know how you feel about private jets taking over Renton airport, and any concerns you have for your neighborhood.  Send emails to cityclerk@rentonwa.gov, and jsubia@rentonwa.gov.

Wikipedia stock image of a typical Cessna Citation CJ1. This was the type of airplane, but not the specific airplane, that did the donut on approach in Renton.