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B737 flight crew reported an near midair collision with a weather balloon at FL400 over virginia.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1477176 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201708 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001-0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZDC.ARTCC |
| State Reference | VA |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | First Officer Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Not Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Experience | Flight Crew Type 4077 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Conflict NMAC |
Narrative:
We were in cruise flight at FL400. The weather was clear VMC. My captain stated 'what's that' and pointed to the right side of the aircraft; 1 o'clock position; same altitude. I leaned forward and looked past the window post between the R1 and R2 windows. I noticed a white balloon moving in our direction. I stated that it was in sight and that it looks like we are going to miss it. The balloon passed our right wing seconds later. I noticed a white balloon with a small box attached to it by a cord. It was close enough for me to see the cord swaying back and forth. It is difficult to say how many feet it missed us by but I can say that it was close enough to see it in detail as we quickly flew passed it. The event last seconds from the time it was spotted. Washington center was notified immediately afterwards. Upon landing we reviewed the required reports section of the flight manual and determined that a report was required. If my captain had not been looking in that location at that exact time we probably would not have noticed it due to the color; size; and closure rate.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737 flight crew reported an NMAC with a weather balloon at FL400 over Virginia.
Narrative: We were in cruise flight at FL400. The weather was clear VMC. My Captain stated 'what's that' and pointed to the right side of the aircraft; 1 o'clock position; same altitude. I leaned forward and looked past the window post between the R1 and R2 windows. I noticed a white balloon moving in our direction. I stated that it was in sight and that it looks like we are going to miss it. The balloon passed our right wing seconds later. I noticed a white balloon with a small box attached to it by a cord. It was close enough for me to see the cord swaying back and forth. It is difficult to say how many feet it missed us by but I can say that it was close enough to see it in detail as we quickly flew passed it. The event last seconds from the time it was spotted. Washington center was notified immediately afterwards. Upon landing we reviewed the required reports section of the Flight manual and determined that a report was required. If my Captain had not been looking in that location at that exact time we probably would not have noticed it due to the color; size; and closure rate.
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.