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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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An air carrier B757 pilot reports sport parachutists dropping unannounced on his route of flight. Drop aircraft pilot deviation, there was no 'jumpers away' from the drop aircraft, although ARTCC had been notified of the intent to drop parachutes.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 350383 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199610 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : byp airport : dfw |
| State Reference | TX |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 11000 msl bound upper : 11000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : dfw |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B757-200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Route In Use | arrival other arrival star : star |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | general aviation : corporate |
| Make Model Name | DC-3/Dakota/Skytrain |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 16000 flight time type : 1600 |
| ASRS Report | 350383 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter other non adherence : far other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | unspecified : 6000 |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other other |
Narrative:
Level at 11000 ft, slowing to 250 KTS for byp arrival, dfw. Approach control called out 14500 ft for parachute drop airplane (into setting sun). First officer saw aircraft, saw several parachutists come out. Estimated they came within 1 mi of us on centerline of byp arrival dfw. Approach control claims no control and that they had not announced jumps. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter flies the B757 and B767. He was slowing southwest of byp when the parachutists were dropped. There was no 'jumpers away' from the jump aircraft, a DC3. The ARTCC radar controller was just as surprised as the reporter about the unannounced drop. The aircraft behind the reporter asked for vectors around the area. The reporter has not personally been confronted with this again at dfw, but has seen it at other airports. The 'dallas and ft worth newspapers have been full' of this parachute story. The reporter describes the dfw situation as 'an adversarial relationship.'
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR B757 PLT RPTS SPORT PARACHUTISTS DROPPING UNANNOUNCED ON HIS RTE OF FLT. DROP ACFT PLTDEV, THERE WAS NO 'JUMPERS AWAY' FROM THE DROP ACFT, ALTHOUGH ARTCC HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE INTENT TO DROP PARACHUTES.
Narrative: LEVEL AT 11000 FT, SLOWING TO 250 KTS FOR BYP ARR, DFW. APCH CTL CALLED OUT 14500 FT FOR PARACHUTE DROP AIRPLANE (INTO SETTING SUN). FO SAW ACFT, SAW SEVERAL PARACHUTISTS COME OUT. ESTIMATED THEY CAME WITHIN 1 MI OF US ON CTRLINE OF BYP ARR DFW. APCH CTL CLAIMS NO CTL AND THAT THEY HAD NOT ANNOUNCED JUMPS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR FLIES THE B757 AND B767. HE WAS SLOWING SW OF BYP WHEN THE PARACHUTISTS WERE DROPPED. THERE WAS NO 'JUMPERS AWAY' FROM THE JUMP ACFT, A DC3. THE ARTCC RADAR CTLR WAS JUST AS SURPRISED AS THE RPTR ABOUT THE UNANNOUNCED DROP. THE ACFT BEHIND THE RPTR ASKED FOR VECTORS AROUND THE AREA. THE RPTR HAS NOT PERSONALLY BEEN CONFRONTED WITH THIS AGAIN AT DFW, BUT HAS SEEN IT AT OTHER ARPTS. THE 'DALLAS AND FT WORTH NEWSPAPERS HAVE BEEN FULL' OF THIS PARACHUTE STORY. THE RPTR DESCRIBES THE DFW SIT AS 'AN ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP.'
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.