Narrative:

Cleared to dfw via the bowie 4 arrival. We departed sps, tx, on a 280 degree heading to maintain 2300 ft. Approximately 2-3 mi west of the airport, we were cleared 'on course, maintain 7000 ft.' I was hand flying and turned directly to the sps VOR and began a climb to 7000 ft. Upon reaching the VOR at approximately 3300 ft, we received an RA from our TCASII, indicating a rapid descent was needed to avoid traffic. I began a vigorous flight idle descent, and instructed the first officer to tell departure that we were descending in response to an RA. I was looking at TCASII and noted the intruder aircraft 300 ft above us. Seconds later I looked up to see 2 T38 aircraft streaking over us, gear down, in very close proximity. I informed departure what had happened and asked them if they were speaking to the T38's and they said 'no.' several mins later, after regaining my composure, I switched back to tower frequency and informed them what had just happened. I asked if they were speaking to the T38's. Their response also was, 'no.' after inquiring about their ATC procedures in this matter, I was told that when we depart on an IFR flight plan, tower makes a broadcast to military pilots on the ground who are speaking to the aircraft in question. I believe poor or total lack of communication to be the major factor in this near midair collision. Small and high speed, therefore hard to see, aircraft coupled with this type of system of communication seems to be an accident waiting to happen. I am no stranger to close encounters at sps, but this has been the closest. There is no doubt in my mind, if not for TCASII I would not be writing this report. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the captain stated that his aircraft had been placed into a 12 degree nose down pitch at flight idle power to avoid the T38's who appeared to be in an in trail formation crossing his path. The 2 military trainers were 'dirty' (gear down) when he saw them departing to the right of his aircraft. He couldn't say why he hadn't received any advisory, he had not reviewed this incident with the controllers directly. He did not want to make waves and wanted to maintain the 'good rapport' that exists at this military/civilian base. He did send in a company report and the airline's union safety representative is handling the matter on a 'local level.' he did not want any other agency involved at this point but would later if nothing is resolved. He feels that the incident was exacerbated by the procedure that the local controllers use at the air base. He thinks that the controllers are military and the T38's were on UHF. The problem is with the departure procedure that was mentioned in the report, a local controller advising a mobile control unit that the IFR traffic is departing. Those mobile controllers are to advise the T38's in the local area or traffic pattern of the IFR traffic. Obviously, it didn't work well this time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DEPARTING SF340 CROSSES THE PATH OF 2 T38'S ON AN OVERHEAD APCH TO SHEPPARD AFB. THE TFC CROSSES 300 FT OVER THE TURBOPROP WHO WAS IN A RAPID TCASII RA DSCNT AND HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY TA BY DEP CTL AT WICHITA FALLS.

Narrative: CLRED TO DFW VIA THE BOWIE 4 ARR. WE DEPARTED SPS, TX, ON A 280 DEG HDG TO MAINTAIN 2300 FT. APPROX 2-3 MI W OF THE ARPT, WE WERE CLRED 'ON COURSE, MAINTAIN 7000 FT.' I WAS HAND FLYING AND TURNED DIRECTLY TO THE SPS VOR AND BEGAN A CLB TO 7000 FT. UPON REACHING THE VOR AT APPROX 3300 FT, WE RECEIVED AN RA FROM OUR TCASII, INDICATING A RAPID DSCNT WAS NEEDED TO AVOID TFC. I BEGAN A VIGOROUS FLT IDLE DSCNT, AND INSTRUCTED THE FO TO TELL DEP THAT WE WERE DSNDING IN RESPONSE TO AN RA. I WAS LOOKING AT TCASII AND NOTED THE INTRUDER ACFT 300 FT ABOVE US. SECONDS LATER I LOOKED UP TO SEE 2 T38 ACFT STREAKING OVER US, GEAR DOWN, IN VERY CLOSE PROX. I INFORMED DEP WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE SPEAKING TO THE T38'S AND THEY SAID 'NO.' SEVERAL MINS LATER, AFTER REGAINING MY COMPOSURE, I SWITCHED BACK TO TWR FREQ AND INFORMED THEM WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. I ASKED IF THEY WERE SPEAKING TO THE T38'S. THEIR RESPONSE ALSO WAS, 'NO.' AFTER INQUIRING ABOUT THEIR ATC PROCS IN THIS MATTER, I WAS TOLD THAT WHEN WE DEPART ON AN IFR FLT PLAN, TWR MAKES A BROADCAST TO MIL PLTS ON THE GND WHO ARE SPEAKING TO THE ACFT IN QUESTION. I BELIEVE POOR OR TOTAL LACK OF COM TO BE THE MAJOR FACTOR IN THIS NMAC. SMALL AND HIGH SPD, THEREFORE HARD TO SEE, ACFT COUPLED WITH THIS TYPE OF SYS OF COM SEEMS TO BE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I AM NO STRANGER TO CLOSE ENCOUNTERS AT SPS, BUT THIS HAS BEEN THE CLOSEST. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND, IF NOT FOR TCASII I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS RPT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT STATED THAT HIS ACFT HAD BEEN PLACED INTO A 12 DEG NOSE DOWN PITCH AT FLT IDLE PWR TO AVOID THE T38'S WHO APPEARED TO BE IN AN IN TRAIL FORMATION XING HIS PATH. THE 2 MIL TRAINERS WERE 'DIRTY' (GEAR DOWN) WHEN HE SAW THEM DEPARTING TO THE R OF HIS ACFT. HE COULDN'T SAY WHY HE HADN'T RECEIVED ANY ADVISORY, HE HAD NOT REVIEWED THIS INCIDENT WITH THE CTLRS DIRECTLY. HE DID NOT WANT TO MAKE WAVES AND WANTED TO MAINTAIN THE 'GOOD RAPPORT' THAT EXISTS AT THIS MIL/CIVILIAN BASE. HE DID SEND IN A COMPANY RPT AND THE AIRLINE'S UNION SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE IS HANDLING THE MATTER ON A 'LCL LEVEL.' HE DID NOT WANT ANY OTHER AGENCY INVOLVED AT THIS POINT BUT WOULD LATER IF NOTHING IS RESOLVED. HE FEELS THAT THE INCIDENT WAS EXACERBATED BY THE PROC THAT THE LCL CTLRS USE AT THE AIR BASE. HE THINKS THAT THE CTLRS ARE MIL AND THE T38'S WERE ON UHF. THE PROB IS WITH THE DEP PROC THAT WAS MENTIONED IN THE RPT, A LCL CTLR ADVISING A MOBILE CTL UNIT THAT THE IFR TFC IS DEPARTING. THOSE MOBILE CTLRS ARE TO ADVISE THE T38'S IN THE LCL AREA OR TFC PATTERN OF THE IFR TFC. OBVIOUSLY, IT DIDN'T WORK WELL THIS TIME.

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.