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ATC fears less than standard separation between crop jet and a sail plane that was VFR with legal separation from clouds.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 143404 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199004 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : pbi airport : lna |
| State Reference | FL |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 5200 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : pbi |
| Operator | common carrier : air taxi |
| Make Model Name | Sail Plane |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 282 flight time total : 4642 flight time type : 325 |
| ASRS Report | 143404 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air taxi |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 125 flight time total : 2700 flight time type : 1200 |
| ASRS Report | 143411 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
Reporter plting a glider tow from lantana airport (4 mi south of pbi) to 3000 ft MSL through the pbi arsa, with radar contact established. Both tow plane and glider are transponder and mode C equipped. As tow approached 5000 ft release altitude the tow plane/glider was called as traffic to a corp jet whose altitude and position was not called to me in the tow plane. Jet pilot reports IMC conditions, no contact. Glider pilot realizes a possible conflict, delays release (and imminent slow descent) and reports readiness to release to controller. He reports that jet traffic is below but fails to advise not to release. Assuming a safe sep, glider pilot waits until approximately 5200 ft and releases initiating a slow descent. Sep descent by tow plane initiated after controller's permission. Vertical and horizontal distance from corp jet is unknown, but later phone contact with pbi approach facility indicated some conflict. Conditions were VFR but IFR in obscuring large cumulus buildups with cloud bases approximately 3500 ft and tops approximately 6000 ft and good visibility, except in clouds. Adequate legal visibility and sep from clouds maintained by glider and tow plane during entire flight. A mix of slow VFR and fast IFR traffic and a mix of VFR and IFR conditions contributed to late recognition of a possible traffic conflict within airspace designed specifically to provide just this kind of radar sep. Supplemental information from acn 143411: corrective action has already been taken. Now we notify ATC of our intention to release whether we have been asked to or not, and we do not release unless this is acknowledged.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ATC FEARS LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN CROP JET AND A SAIL PLANE THAT WAS VFR WITH LEGAL SEPARATION FROM CLOUDS.
Narrative: RPTR PLTING A GLIDER TOW FROM LANTANA ARPT (4 MI S OF PBI) TO 3000 FT MSL THROUGH THE PBI ARSA, WITH RADAR CONTACT ESTABLISHED. BOTH TOW PLANE AND GLIDER ARE XPONDER AND MODE C EQUIPPED. AS TOW APCHED 5000 FT RELEASE ALT THE TOW PLANE/GLIDER WAS CALLED AS TFC TO A CORP JET WHOSE ALT AND POS WAS NOT CALLED TO ME IN THE TOW PLANE. JET PLT RPTS IMC CONDITIONS, NO CONTACT. GLIDER PLT REALIZES A POSSIBLE CONFLICT, DELAYS RELEASE (AND IMMINENT SLOW DSNT) AND RPTS READINESS TO RELEASE TO CTLR. HE RPTS THAT JET TFC IS BELOW BUT FAILS TO ADVISE NOT TO RELEASE. ASSUMING A SAFE SEP, GLIDER PLT WAITS UNTIL APPROX 5200 FT AND RELEASES INITIATING A SLOW DSNT. SEP DSNT BY TOW PLANE INITIATED AFTER CTLR'S PERMISSION. VERT AND HORIZ DISTANCE FROM CORP JET IS UNKNOWN, BUT LATER PHONE CONTACT WITH PBI APCH FAC INDICATED SOME CONFLICT. CONDITIONS WERE VFR BUT IFR IN OBSCURING LARGE CUMULUS BUILDUPS WITH CLOUD BASES APPROX 3500 FT AND TOPS APPROX 6000 FT AND GOOD VISIBILITY, EXCEPT IN CLOUDS. ADEQUATE LEGAL VISIBILITY AND SEP FROM CLOUDS MAINTAINED BY GLIDER AND TOW PLANE DURING ENTIRE FLT. A MIX OF SLOW VFR AND FAST IFR TFC AND A MIX OF VFR AND IFR CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO LATE RECOGNITION OF A POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT WITHIN AIRSPACE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO PROVIDE JUST THIS KIND OF RADAR SEP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 143411: CORRECTIVE ACTION HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN. NOW WE NOTIFY ATC OF OUR INTENTION TO RELEASE WHETHER WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO OR NOT, AND WE DO NOT RELEASE UNLESS THIS IS ACKNOWLEDGED.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.