E120 on vector by departure control was given VFR TA and an intermediate altitude assignment. E120 f...

Attributes
ACN	319179
Time
Date	199510
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dhn
State Reference	AL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3000 msl bound upper : 3100
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : ozr
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Xingu EMB-121 All Series
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	King Air C90 E90
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 8000
ASRS Report	319179
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 50
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Departed dhn on IFR to atl. Initial clearance was to 5000 ft direct csg. When passing 3100 ft, controller issued 3000 ft as an intermediate altitude. After acknowledgement, we were given heading 360 degrees, vector for climb. Controller issued VFR traffic at 11 O'clock. We immediately spotted a small cessna at 12 O'clock turning eastbound. We reported visual on traffic and were cleared to 10000 ft. First officer and I were watching cessna in turn to make sure he did not turn back into our flight path, as he was also at 3000 ft. King air was at 3000 ft moving left to right, cessna had moved to our 2 O'clock position and he was no longer a conflict. King air was spotted first by first officer at 11:30 O'clock and 1/4 mi. He immediately pushed over to go under king air. This one was close enough that I cringed when we went under. I didn't know if we were going to clear him or not. King air was on frequency, but not participating in radar service. Controller said he only had one target, so we suspect that he did not see the cessna because primary targets were masked. King air apparently never saw us, as it did not appear he took any action whatsoever. Controller vectored us through training area at the most commonly used altitude. There is a large school there, and all the military primary flight training is very close by. It seems that the controller would have made a little more effort to keep us away from a converging target at our altitude. Had my first officer not seen him at the last min, we would have hit him. I know it's a pain for a controller to have to look at a scope with all the primary targets displayed, but doing so could have saved our lives had we not seen the king air. There is too much training activity in cairns airspace to mask non-transponder aircraft. Had he seen both targets, this quite possibly could have been prevented.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: E120 ON VECTOR BY DEP CTL WAS GIVEN VFR TA AND AN INTERMEDIATE ALT ASSIGNMENT. E120 FLC SPOTTED A CESSNA AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE TFC. A SECOND VFR BE90 WAS ALSO IN THE AREA AND THE E120 TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO MISS IT.

Narrative: DEPARTED DHN ON IFR TO ATL. INITIAL CLRNC WAS TO 5000 FT DIRECT CSG. WHEN PASSING 3100 FT, CTLR ISSUED 3000 FT AS AN INTERMEDIATE ALT. AFTER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, WE WERE GIVEN HDG 360 DEGS, VECTOR FOR CLB. CTLR ISSUED VFR TFC AT 11 O'CLOCK. WE IMMEDIATELY SPOTTED A SMALL CESSNA AT 12 O'CLOCK TURNING EBOUND. WE RPTED VISUAL ON TFC AND WERE CLRED TO 10000 FT. FO AND I WERE WATCHING CESSNA IN TURN TO MAKE SURE HE DID NOT TURN BACK INTO OUR FLT PATH, AS HE WAS ALSO AT 3000 FT. KING AIR WAS AT 3000 FT MOVING L TO R, CESSNA HAD MOVED TO OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS AND HE WAS NO LONGER A CONFLICT. KING AIR WAS SPOTTED FIRST BY FO AT 11:30 O'CLOCK AND 1/4 MI. HE IMMEDIATELY PUSHED OVER TO GO UNDER KING AIR. THIS ONE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT I CRINGED WHEN WE WENT UNDER. I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO CLR HIM OR NOT. KING AIR WAS ON FREQ, BUT NOT PARTICIPATING IN RADAR SVC. CTLR SAID HE ONLY HAD ONE TARGET, SO WE SUSPECT THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE CESSNA BECAUSE PRIMARY TARGETS WERE MASKED. KING AIR APPARENTLY NEVER SAW US, AS IT DID NOT APPEAR HE TOOK ANY ACTION WHATSOEVER. CTLR VECTORED US THROUGH TRAINING AREA AT THE MOST COMMONLY USED ALT. THERE IS A LARGE SCHOOL THERE, AND ALL THE MIL PRIMARY FLT TRAINING IS VERY CLOSE BY. IT SEEMS THAT THE CTLR WOULD HAVE MADE A LITTLE MORE EFFORT TO KEEP US AWAY FROM A CONVERGING TARGET AT OUR ALT. HAD MY FO NOT SEEN HIM AT THE LAST MIN, WE WOULD HAVE HIT HIM. I KNOW IT'S A PAIN FOR A CTLR TO HAVE TO LOOK AT A SCOPE WITH ALL THE PRIMARY TARGETS DISPLAYED, BUT DOING SO COULD HAVE SAVED OUR LIVES HAD WE NOT SEEN THE KING AIR. THERE IS TOO MUCH TRAINING ACTIVITY IN CAIRNS AIRSPACE TO MASK NON-XPONDER ACFT. HAD HE SEEN BOTH TARGETS, THIS QUITE POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.

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.

E120 on vector by departure control was given VFR TA and an intermediate altitude assignment. E120 flight crew spotted a cessna and thought that it was the traffic. A second VFR BE90 was also in the area and the E120 took evasive action to miss it.