Narrative:

As we were climbing through 20000' I saw a flight of 2 fgt's coming toward us. The lead aircraft was at our 12:30 position and the second aircraft at 11:30. Both aircraft were in a climbing left turn. Range 1-1 1/2 mi. I initiated a left turn to pass behind the second aircraft. As soon as I could see that we were going to miss them I returned to course. I called out the traffic and the captain and second officer looked but neither saw the traffic until they were in view through the right #2 window. We reported the incident to taegu control. The next day we talked to the controller on the phone and he told us the fgt's were not squawking altitude and that they were several mi outside the area they were cleared for and when they went by us they were about 7000' above the altitude they were cleared for. The captain was called by the military commander and was told that both fgt pilots had been called in and had said they were on a VFR flight and knew that they had gone out of their area. Neither pilot saw us. We were eastbound with the sun setting behind us. It is still hard to believe that they could fly that close to a widebody transport and not see it. This is another case where looking out the window may have saved a lot of people. The controller saw the traffic but did not call them out to us because he assumed that they were in their assigned airspace even though he had no altitude readout. (If they were outside their assigned area, why did he assume they were within their altitude block?) for pilots: if you can see out the window, look. For controllers: give pilots a chance to look for any traffic that could be a hazard. We may not see everything you can, but please warn us.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 FGT'S LEFT THEIR DESIGNATED AREA AND CAME IN CLOSE PROX TO A WDB.

Narrative: AS WE WERE CLBING THROUGH 20000' I SAW A FLT OF 2 FGT'S COMING TOWARD US. THE LEAD ACFT WAS AT OUR 12:30 POS AND THE SECOND ACFT AT 11:30. BOTH ACFT WERE IN A CLBING LEFT TURN. RANGE 1-1 1/2 MI. I INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO PASS BEHIND THE SECOND ACFT. AS SOON AS I COULD SEE THAT WE WERE GOING TO MISS THEM I RETURNED TO COURSE. I CALLED OUT THE TFC AND THE CAPT AND S/O LOOKED BUT NEITHER SAW THE TFC UNTIL THEY WERE IN VIEW THROUGH THE RIGHT #2 WINDOW. WE RPTED THE INCIDENT TO TAEGU CTL. THE NEXT DAY WE TALKED TO THE CTLR ON THE PHONE AND HE TOLD US THE FGT'S WERE NOT SQUAWKING ALT AND THAT THEY WERE SEVERAL MI OUTSIDE THE AREA THEY WERE CLRED FOR AND WHEN THEY WENT BY US THEY WERE ABOUT 7000' ABOVE THE ALT THEY WERE CLRED FOR. THE CAPT WAS CALLED BY THE MIL COMMANDER AND WAS TOLD THAT BOTH FGT PLTS HAD BEEN CALLED IN AND HAD SAID THEY WERE ON A VFR FLT AND KNEW THAT THEY HAD GONE OUT OF THEIR AREA. NEITHER PLT SAW US. WE WERE EBND WITH THE SUN SETTING BEHIND US. IT IS STILL HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THEY COULD FLY THAT CLOSE TO A WDB AND NOT SEE IT. THIS IS ANOTHER CASE WHERE LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW MAY HAVE SAVED A LOT OF PEOPLE. THE CTLR SAW THE TFC BUT DID NOT CALL THEM OUT TO US BECAUSE HE ASSUMED THAT THEY WERE IN THEIR ASSIGNED AIRSPACE EVEN THOUGH HE HAD NO ALT READOUT. (IF THEY WERE OUTSIDE THEIR ASSIGNED AREA, WHY DID HE ASSUME THEY WERE WITHIN THEIR ALT BLOCK?) FOR PLTS: IF YOU CAN SEE OUT THE WINDOW, LOOK. FOR CTLRS: GIVE PLTS A CHANCE TO LOOK FOR ANY TFC THAT COULD BE A HAZARD. WE MAY NOT SEE EVERYTHING YOU CAN, BUT PLEASE WARN US.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.