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An air carrier light transport delayed its departure from an altitude because of a possible TCASII threat advisory.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 244212 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199306 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : bpr |
| State Reference | CT |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 6000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : n90 tower : bwi |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Light Transport |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 7500 flight time type : 3000 |
| ASRS Report | 244212 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : clearance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other controllera other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
My first officer was flying while I was handling ATC communications. We were TCASII equipped. My flight was inbound to la guardia. The controller issued a descent from 6000 to 5000 ft. Immediately after we acknowledged the descent, the TCASII gave us a TA at minus 500 ft relative altitude. We delayed our descent for about 1 min. The controller was very busy and we did have the opportunity to call him back to notify him of our delayed descent. I elected to delay the descent to avoid an intentional TCASII RA which would have resulted in my opinion a climb that would have taken us above 6000 ft. A call from the controller later in the afternoon revealed that we, ATC and pilots, had a lot to learn about this new equipment and effective ways to use it safely. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporting pilot did not see the intruding aircraft, but he believes that there was an aircraft. He does not believe that this was a false alarm. The TRACON controller was rather upset about the reporter not leaving his altitude immediately. The TRACON controller tracked down the reporter by calling the air carrier dispatch, then crew schedule, then the pilot's lounge at lga. The controller reiterated that he had wanted the aircraft out of its previous altitude now, not whenever the reporter got around to it. There has been no further FAA action.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR LTT DELAYED ITS DEP FROM AN ALT BECAUSE OF A POSSIBLE TCASII THREAT ADVISORY.
Narrative: MY FO WAS FLYING WHILE I WAS HANDLING ATC COMS. WE WERE TCASII EQUIPPED. MY FLT WAS INBOUND TO LA GUARDIA. THE CTLR ISSUED A DSCNT FROM 6000 TO 5000 FT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE ACKNOWLEDGED THE DSCNT, THE TCASII GAVE US A TA AT MINUS 500 FT RELATIVE ALT. WE DELAYED OUR DSCNT FOR ABOUT 1 MIN. THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY AND WE DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CALL HIM BACK TO NOTIFY HIM OF OUR DELAYED DSCNT. I ELECTED TO DELAY THE DSCNT TO AVOID AN INTENTIONAL TCASII RA WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN MY OPINION A CLB THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN US ABOVE 6000 FT. A CALL FROM THE CTLR LATER IN THE AFTERNOON REVEALED THAT WE, ATC AND PLTS, HAD A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT THIS NEW EQUIP AND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO USE IT SAFELY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING PLT DID NOT SEE THE INTRUDING ACFT, BUT HE BELIEVES THAT THERE WAS AN ACFT. HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A FALSE ALARM. THE TRACON CTLR WAS RATHER UPSET ABOUT THE RPTR NOT LEAVING HIS ALT IMMEDIATELY. THE TRACON CTLR TRACKED DOWN THE RPTR BY CALLING THE ACR DISPATCH, THEN CREW SCHEDULE, THEN THE PLT'S LOUNGE AT LGA. THE CTLR REITERATED THAT HE HAD WANTED THE ACFT OUT OF ITS PREVIOUS ALT NOW, NOT WHENEVER THE RPTR GOT AROUND TO IT. THERE HAS BEEN NO FURTHER FAA ACTION.
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.