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An F/A18 filed a flight plan with an equipment suffix indicating they were rvsm capable which permits ATC to use 1;000 feet vertical separation above 29;000 feet instead of 2;000 feet. The controller asked the pilot to verify its equipment suffix type. The pilot responded with slant india which is not rvsm capable. The aircraft had passed two other aircraft with 1;000 feet of vertical separation prior to the controller finding out the wrong suffix was filed.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1316299 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201512 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZAB.ARTCC |
| State Reference | NM |
| Environment | |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | F/A 18 Hornet/Super Hornet |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Other Military |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | A319 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Enroute |
| Qualification | Air Traffic Control Fully Certified |
| Experience | Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 13.0 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Conflict Airborne Conflict Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
| Miss Distance | Vertical 1000 |
Narrative:
A military fighter jet at 39000 feet; had an equipment suffix of /west; which made it rvsm capable. A different military fighter jet 60-70 miles behind the first one; checked on frequency. It was showing non-rvsm capable at 41000 feet. Instinct caused us to question the first one. The pilot stated they were; in fact; non-rvsm capable. We notified the supervisor and changed the aircraft's equipment suffix to /I. We were notified that separation had been lost with an aircraft at 38000 feet and an aircraft at 40000 feet.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An F/A18 filed a flight plan with an equipment suffix indicating they were RVSM capable which permits ATC to use 1;000 feet vertical separation above 29;000 feet instead of 2;000 feet. The Controller asked the pilot to verify its equipment suffix type. The pilot responded with slant India which is not RVSM capable. The aircraft had passed two other aircraft with 1;000 feet of vertical separation prior to the Controller finding out the wrong suffix was filed.
Narrative: A military fighter jet at 39000 feet; had an equipment suffix of /W; which made it RVSM capable. A different military fighter jet 60-70 miles behind the first one; checked on frequency. It was showing NON-RVSM capable at 41000 feet. Instinct caused us to question the first one. The pilot stated they were; in fact; NON-RVSM capable. We notified the supervisor and changed the aircraft's equipment suffix to /I. We were notified that separation had been lost with an aircraft at 38000 feet and an aircraft at 40000 feet.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.