<< >> NASA ASRS Report 517095, July 2001

A descending A300 flight crew sights an opposite direction foreign air carrier at their cleared to altitude and levels off 1000 ft above, 22 mi south of sia, first officer.

Attributes
ACN	517095
Time
Date	200107
Day	Thu
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : mkjk.artcc
State Reference	FO
Altitude	msl bound lower : 28000 msl bound upper : 33000
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : mkjk.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise : enroute altitude change
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	artcc : mkjk.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise : enroute altitude change
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	517095
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
ASRS Report	516716
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment : tcas other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took precautionary avoidance action other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Airspace Structure
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error

Narrative:

Flight XXX was at FL330 22 NM south of sia. Mkjk center requested flight descend to FL290 for northbound traffic. Flight XXX started descent and called out of FL330. Passing FL310, TCASII target appeared 4 O'clock, 5 NM at FL290. Flight XXX stopped descent at FL300 and notified ATC. At same time, air carrier flight XXX notified ATC of their altitude and requested for immediate descent to FL280 to avoid traffic descending to their altitude. After air carrier flight oox was level at FL280, ATC aware of the conflict, but seemed to not comprehend what was happening. No TA/RA was received by either aircraft, but visual reference by the aircraft below was the first warning of the potential accident. Flight XXX continued to bog without further incident. Supplemental information from acn 516716: we stopped descent FL300 when visual with air carrier. The point is that kin center was clueless that avianca was directly below air carrier Y. Both air carrier and aircraft sorted this out and tried to communicate with kin center.

Related reports:

• Flight crew of B737 descending is issued traffic on climb ou...
• A fokker 100 flight crew began a descending turn and were gi...
• Opposite direction traffic was descending to FL310 and passe...
• Air carrier MD80S flight crew react to TCASII RA and descend...
• HS125 flight crew experienced TCAS RA at FL370 with opposite...

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.37000feet.com

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DSNDING A300 FLC SIGHTS AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOREIGN ACR AT THEIR CLRED TO ALT AND LEVELS OFF 1000 FT ABOVE, 22 MI S OF SIA, FO.

Narrative: FLT XXX WAS AT FL330 22 NM S OF SIA. MKJK CTR REQUESTED FLT DSND TO FL290 FOR NBOUND TFC. FLT XXX STARTED DSCNT AND CALLED OUT OF FL330. PASSING FL310, TCASII TARGET APPEARED 4 O'CLOCK, 5 NM AT FL290. FLT XXX STOPPED DSCNT AT FL300 AND NOTIFIED ATC. AT SAME TIME, ACR FLT XXX NOTIFIED ATC OF THEIR ALT AND REQUESTED FOR IMMEDIATE DSCNT TO FL280 TO AVOID TFC DSNDING TO THEIR ALT. AFTER ACR FLT OOX WAS LEVEL AT FL280, ATC AWARE OF THE CONFLICT, BUT SEEMED TO NOT COMPREHEND WHAT WAS HAPPENING. NO TA/RA WAS RECEIVED BY EITHER ACFT, BUT VISUAL REF BY THE ACFT BELOW WAS THE FIRST WARNING OF THE POTENTIAL ACCIDENT. FLT XXX CONTINUED TO BOG WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 516716: WE STOPPED DSCNT FL300 WHEN VISUAL WITH ACR. THE POINT IS THAT KIN CTR WAS CLUELESS THAT AVIANCA WAS DIRECTLY BELOW ACR Y. BOTH ACR AND ACFT SORTED THIS OUT AND TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WITH KIN CTR.

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.