Narrative:

Our route of flight was direct hgo, cos, kcos. We had been at our cruise altitude of FL350, and subsequently descended to FL280. Well east of hgo, we were advised of a 'no-notice' balloon launch from the kcos area. The balloon did not have a transponder. En route winds were 270 degrees 60 KTS and it was supposed to climb to approximately FL250 before falling back to the surface. Its position estimated to be between cos and hgo. At hgo we were cleared to descend to 14000 ft through IMC conditions. We requested a radar vector to clear the non NWS balloon estimated track during this descent and turned left to approximately 250 degrees direct to petey, to expect a runway 35R visual approach at kcos. We never saw the balloon and were VMC below approximately FL250-270. As the autoplt was starting the leveloff at 15500 ft for the 14000 ft clearance altitude cos approach control issued a descent clearance to 12000 ft. I selected vertical speed 1000 FPM at approximately 14500 ft for the continuance of a 315 KIAS descent to 12000 ft. (I am unsure of the exact sequence of the following events.) as we descended out of 14000 ft for 12000 ft the descent rate was shallowing to achieve 1000 FPM. We had a TCASII traffic symbol at approximately the 11:30 position at 11000+ ft climbing. Inside of 10 NM range, probably about 6 NM the first officer asked the approach controller about the traffic as I was scanning for him visually and the TCASII was giving TA's and RA's. I am unsure of the controller's response as it was blocked by the TCASII audio. I shallowed the descent while continuing to visually acquire the traffic. I saw the traffic at approximately 2 mi going from an extremely nose-high attitude to inverted flight as the aircraft entered a l-hand, inverted spin. I initially idented the aircraft as a T37 but a subsequent telephone conversation with the cos ATC chief suggested that it was probably a military T3 from the military academy. I estimated the 'miss-distance' as 500 ft. The ATC chief described the location as an 'alert area' southeast of cos where the primary activity is T3 flying. The aircraft in our scenario was not in radio contact with approach control. The problem was the direct result of approach control clearing us to descend to 12000 ft with no TA's or notification of an 'alert area' on our route with a ceiling of 12000 ft, the same as our descent clearance altitude. Also there is nothing on the ATIS or our navigation charts about VFR acrobatic training taking place in 'alert areas' northeast and southeast of cos. The TA from approach control was too little too late. A more aggressive flight control input in response to the RA would have helped only minimally.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG ACFT IN DSCNT ARRIVING AT COS ARPT WAS ADVISED OF A NO-NOTICE BALLOON RELEASE AND FLC REQUESTED RADAR VECTOR TO REMAIN CLR OF THE BALLOON. APCH CTLR CLRED ACFT TO 12000 FT AND AS FLC DSNDED, TCASII TFC WAS OBSERVED INSIDE 10 MI AND CLBING OUT OF 11000 FT. FLC ACQUIRED TFC VISUALLY WHICH WAS A MIL TRAINER DOING AN INVERTED SPIN FROM CLOSE TO 12000 FT WHICH FLC ESTIMATED MISS DISTANCE AS 500 FT. RPTR BELIEVES THAT BETTER COORD BTWN APCH CTLR AND THE ALERT AREA CTL WITH ADVISORIES TO FLCS WOULD BENEFIT ALL.

Narrative: OUR RTE OF FLT WAS DIRECT HGO, COS, KCOS. WE HAD BEEN AT OUR CRUISE ALT OF FL350, AND SUBSEQUENTLY DSNDED TO FL280. WELL E OF HGO, WE WERE ADVISED OF A 'NO-NOTICE' BALLOON LAUNCH FROM THE KCOS AREA. THE BALLOON DID NOT HAVE A XPONDER. ENRTE WINDS WERE 270 DEGS 60 KTS AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO CLB TO APPROX FL250 BEFORE FALLING BACK TO THE SURFACE. ITS POS ESTIMATED TO BE BTWN COS AND HGO. AT HGO WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 14000 FT THROUGH IMC CONDITIONS. WE REQUESTED A RADAR VECTOR TO CLR THE NON NWS BALLOON ESTIMATED TRACK DURING THIS DSCNT AND TURNED L TO APPROX 250 DEGS DIRECT TO PETEY, TO EXPECT A RWY 35R VISUAL APCH AT KCOS. WE NEVER SAW THE BALLOON AND WERE VMC BELOW APPROX FL250-270. AS THE AUTOPLT WAS STARTING THE LEVELOFF AT 15500 FT FOR THE 14000 FT CLRNC ALT COS APCH CTL ISSUED A DSCNT CLRNC TO 12000 FT. I SELECTED VERT SPD 1000 FPM AT APPROX 14500 FT FOR THE CONTINUANCE OF A 315 KIAS DSCNT TO 12000 FT. (I AM UNSURE OF THE EXACT SEQUENCE OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS.) AS WE DSNDED OUT OF 14000 FT FOR 12000 FT THE DSCNT RATE WAS SHALLOWING TO ACHIEVE 1000 FPM. WE HAD A TCASII TFC SYMBOL AT APPROX THE 11:30 POS AT 11000+ FT CLBING. INSIDE OF 10 NM RANGE, PROBABLY ABOUT 6 NM THE FO ASKED THE APCH CTLR ABOUT THE TFC AS I WAS SCANNING FOR HIM VISUALLY AND THE TCASII WAS GIVING TA'S AND RA'S. I AM UNSURE OF THE CTLR'S RESPONSE AS IT WAS BLOCKED BY THE TCASII AUDIO. I SHALLOWED THE DSCNT WHILE CONTINUING TO VISUALLY ACQUIRE THE TFC. I SAW THE TFC AT APPROX 2 MI GOING FROM AN EXTREMELY NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE TO INVERTED FLT AS THE ACFT ENTERED A L-HAND, INVERTED SPIN. I INITIALLY IDENTED THE ACFT AS A T37 BUT A SUBSEQUENT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE COS ATC CHIEF SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS PROBABLY A MIL T3 FROM THE MIL ACADEMY. I ESTIMATED THE 'MISS-DISTANCE' AS 500 FT. THE ATC CHIEF DESCRIBED THE LOCATION AS AN 'ALERT AREA' SE OF COS WHERE THE PRIMARY ACTIVITY IS T3 FLYING. THE ACFT IN OUR SCENARIO WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH APCH CTL. THE PROB WAS THE DIRECT RESULT OF APCH CTL CLRING US TO DSND TO 12000 FT WITH NO TA'S OR NOTIFICATION OF AN 'ALERT AREA' ON OUR RTE WITH A CEILING OF 12000 FT, THE SAME AS OUR DSCNT CLRNC ALT. ALSO THERE IS NOTHING ON THE ATIS OR OUR NAV CHARTS ABOUT VFR ACROBATIC TRAINING TAKING PLACE IN 'ALERT AREAS' NE AND SE OF COS. THE TA FROM APCH CTL WAS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE. A MORE AGGRESSIVE FLT CTL INPUT IN RESPONSE TO THE RA WOULD HAVE HELPED ONLY MINIMALLY.

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.