Narrative:

I spoke with a new york TRACON (long island) supervisor, and was informed that there isn't a lot that can be done about changing the arrival altitudes and/or routings into the new york airspace. Something definitely needs to be done to keep commercial passenger carrying aircraft out of harm's way when operating in this airspace. No one should be expecting the average private pilot to comply with FARS and maintain his/her required altitude +500 ft when VFR (this guy definitely was). No one would even think of descending a jet to 4000 ft over bdr. This encounter involved 2 aircraft. The first aircraft was a C421 which was pointed out to us by ATC. The second aircraft was an unknown (to both ATC and us). It turned out to be a reciprocating single with retractable gear. The second aircraft was never pointed out by ATC. The 2 aircraft were in very close proximity to each other as well as to us. Both aircraft were on westerly headings. We were on a southeasterly heading. We first received notification of the first aircraft when we were flying over bdr VORTAC. We were looking for him when we received the TA warning on him from the TCASII unit. Almost immediately after that, we received an RA warning on the second aircraft, which just popped onto the TCASII screen. The second aircraft was in our 11:30 position at our altitude (4000 ft) and was headed straight for us. The horizontal distance was about 1 mi. I immediately informed the first officer that I did not have the aircraft in sight, and instructed him to comply with the RA. He then initiated an immediate descent at a rate of 2000 FPM as directed by the TCASII unit. Our reaction time to the RA was less than 5 seconds. During our descent, I informed ATC of our RA compliance maneuver. I spotted the reciprocating single as he passed overhead. There would definitely have been a midair collision had we not responded to the RA. I informed ATC of this. I feel it important to note that sky conditions were hazy at the time of this incident, and spotting any other aircraft would have been difficult, even with advance warning from ATC. Less than 10 seconds later, we spotted the original aircraft, which had been pointed out to us by ATC. This aircraft also flew directly overhead when he passed us, but his altitude was 900 ft above our own at that time (4400 ft versus 3500 ft). After this, we climbed back up to our assigned altitude of 4000 ft. The controller issued an apology and handed us off to the next sector. The flight then proceeded to jfk uneventfully. On a personal note, I feel that an immediate adjustment should be made to the filed routing from alb to jfk in order to allow us to remain at a higher altitude for a longer period of time while in the airspace around southern connecticut. The current routing causes ATC to descend us to 4000 ft in the vicinity of loves intersection (15 NM south of pwl and 28 NM northwest of bdr). We are therefore level at 4000 ft long before we reach bdr. This is definitely unsafe! This procedure puts us in 'indian country' for an extended period of time. I hear that the FAA is considering recommissioning the hvn VORTAC because of other complaints. Perhaps a routing from alb down toward hvn and then across the sound toward CCC and finally toward dpk then jfk would be a more efficient and safer routing in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SF340 CAPT RELATES INFO ON AN NMAC AND ANOTHER CLOSE CALL WHILE ENRTE FROM ALB TO JFK. APCH CTLR HAD GIVEN TFC INFO TO THE RPTR ON A C421 AND WHILE LOOKING FOR THAT ACFT THEY GOT AN RA ON AN UNKNOWN VFR SMA. THE FLC REACTED TO THEIR TCASII RA AND MISSED BOTH ACFT. THE CAPT DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT WITH THE TRACON SUPVR AND FEELS THAT THE ROUTING TO JFK FROM ALB SHOULD BE CHANGED. THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THE 'EAST COAST PLAN' COMPLAINTS THAT ASRS HAS RECEIVED SINCE THAT PLAN WAS INSTITUTED SEVERAL YRS AGO.

Narrative: I SPOKE WITH A NEW YORK TRACON (LONG ISLAND) SUPVR, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE ISN'T A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT CHANGING THE ARR ALTS AND/OR ROUTINGS INTO THE NEW YORK AIRSPACE. SOMETHING DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE DONE TO KEEP COMMERCIAL PAX CARRYING ACFT OUT OF HARM'S WAY WHEN OPERATING IN THIS AIRSPACE. NO ONE SHOULD BE EXPECTING THE AVERAGE PVT PLT TO COMPLY WITH FARS AND MAINTAIN HIS/HER REQUIRED ALT +500 FT WHEN VFR (THIS GUY DEFINITELY WAS). NO ONE WOULD EVEN THINK OF DSNDING A JET TO 4000 FT OVER BDR. THIS ENCOUNTER INVOLVED 2 ACFT. THE FIRST ACFT WAS A C421 WHICH WAS POINTED OUT TO US BY ATC. THE SECOND ACFT WAS AN UNKNOWN (TO BOTH ATC AND US). IT TURNED OUT TO BE A RECIPROCATING SINGLE WITH RETRACTABLE GEAR. THE SECOND ACFT WAS NEVER POINTED OUT BY ATC. THE 2 ACFT WERE IN VERY CLOSE PROX TO EACH OTHER AS WELL AS TO US. BOTH ACFT WERE ON WESTERLY HDGS. WE WERE ON A SOUTHEASTERLY HDG. WE FIRST RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF THE FIRST ACFT WHEN WE WERE FLYING OVER BDR VORTAC. WE WERE LOOKING FOR HIM WHEN WE RECEIVED THE TA WARNING ON HIM FROM THE TCASII UNIT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT, WE RECEIVED AN RA WARNING ON THE SECOND ACFT, WHICH JUST POPPED ONTO THE TCASII SCREEN. THE SECOND ACFT WAS IN OUR 11:30 POS AT OUR ALT (4000 FT) AND WAS HEADED STRAIGHT FOR US. THE HORIZ DISTANCE WAS ABOUT 1 MI. I IMMEDIATELY INFORMED THE FO THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE ACFT IN SIGHT, AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO COMPLY WITH THE RA. HE THEN INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT AT A RATE OF 2000 FPM AS DIRECTED BY THE TCASII UNIT. OUR REACTION TIME TO THE RA WAS LESS THAN 5 SECONDS. DURING OUR DSCNT, I INFORMED ATC OF OUR RA COMPLIANCE MANEUVER. I SPOTTED THE RECIPROCATING SINGLE AS HE PASSED OVERHEAD. THERE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN A MIDAIR COLLISION HAD WE NOT RESPONDED TO THE RA. I INFORMED ATC OF THIS. I FEEL IT IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SKY CONDITIONS WERE HAZY AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT, AND SPOTTING ANY OTHER ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT, EVEN WITH ADVANCE WARNING FROM ATC. LESS THAN 10 SECONDS LATER, WE SPOTTED THE ORIGINAL ACFT, WHICH HAD BEEN POINTED OUT TO US BY ATC. THIS ACFT ALSO FLEW DIRECTLY OVERHEAD WHEN HE PASSED US, BUT HIS ALT WAS 900 FT ABOVE OUR OWN AT THAT TIME (4400 FT VERSUS 3500 FT). AFTER THIS, WE CLBED BACK UP TO OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 4000 FT. THE CTLR ISSUED AN APOLOGY AND HANDED US OFF TO THE NEXT SECTOR. THE FLT THEN PROCEEDED TO JFK UNEVENTFULLY. ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I FEEL THAT AN IMMEDIATE ADJUSTMENT SHOULD BE MADE TO THE FILED ROUTING FROM ALB TO JFK IN ORDER TO ALLOW US TO REMAIN AT A HIGHER ALT FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME WHILE IN THE AIRSPACE AROUND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT. THE CURRENT ROUTING CAUSES ATC TO DSND US TO 4000 FT IN THE VICINITY OF LOVES INTXN (15 NM S OF PWL AND 28 NM NW OF BDR). WE ARE THEREFORE LEVEL AT 4000 FT LONG BEFORE WE REACH BDR. THIS IS DEFINITELY UNSAFE! THIS PROC PUTS US IN 'INDIAN COUNTRY' FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. I HEAR THAT THE FAA IS CONSIDERING RECOMMISSIONING THE HVN VORTAC BECAUSE OF OTHER COMPLAINTS. PERHAPS A ROUTING FROM ALB DOWN TOWARD HVN AND THEN ACROSS THE SOUND TOWARD CCC AND FINALLY TOWARD DPK THEN JFK WOULD BE A MORE EFFICIENT AND SAFER ROUTING IN THE FUTURE.

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.