Narrative:

I was PF and my captain was working the radios as we were approaching mci from the south to land on runway 19R. As we were on a left downwind east of the airport there was a radio call from ATC to an air carrier Y flight, 'maintain speed 170 KTS till 5 mi final.' we were descending through 7000 ft, cleared down to 5000 ft on about midfield downwind. After abeam touchdown, we were given a 330 degree heading. Then about 7 mi north of the airport, we were given a 280 degree heading. At this time my captain informed approach that we had the airport in sight and that we had an aircraft in sight at 9 O'clock position. ATC informed us that that aircraft was on approach to runway 19L and that we were cleared for a visual approach to runway 19R, maintain visual separation with that aircraft. I saw the 9 O'clock position traffic also, and I thought that this was the air carrier Y flight mentioned earlier. I thought that it was on approach to runway 19R, our runway (which it was). At this time, I continued descent for runway 19R and started a turn towards the airport. Shortly after this, ATC informed air carrier Z of our aircraft, an MD80 at xx O'clock position and xx mi. (I do not remember what location the controllers gave as our position.) the pilot of air carrier Z informed ATC that he had visual contact with the MD80. ATC then cleared air carrier Z for a visual approach to runway 19L and to maintain visual separation with the MD80 on final to runway 19R. Shortly after this, as I was monitoring our separation with air carrier Y about 3-4 mi in front of us on our TCAS, I noticed another aircraft at our 7-8 O'clock position and distance closing, and 400 ft below us. I then added power to arrest our descent. We got a TA at 300 ft above this target, at which time I had the descent arrested and maintained altitude. During this time, I asked the captain if he had this traffic in sight. He was also looking for this traffic and said that he had it in sight and that it was pretty close, and looked like it had overshot final for runway 19L. I maintained altitude and proceeded right of final for runway 19R until I also had visual contact with air carrier Z and we determined that air carrier Z was correcting left to line up with runway 19L. At this time, I joined the ILS course and GS and continued with the approach and landing on runway 19R. I will now indicate some of the reasons I think that this occurred. First there was some confusion over which runway that air carrier Y was landing on. My captain thought that the controller said that air carrier Y was on approach to runway 19R. He was operating the radio, so he may have been correct. We were never informed of air carrier Z. What I think occurred is that the controller thought that we saw the air carrier Z MD80 at 3 O'clock position on approach to runway 19L, rather than the air carrier Y MD80 at 9 O'clock position, when my captain reported an aircraft in sight at 9 O'clock position and that we had the airport in sight. Due to this, the controller thought that we had the air carrier Z MD80 in sight and were keeping visual separation with it as we passed in front of it. I also think that the air carrier Z MD80 pilots may not have seen our aircraft but may have seen the air carrier Y MD80 on final to runway 19R about 5 mi in front of them as they were probably looking down and toward the airport. Our aircraft would have been high in their windshield and may not been in view to them due to the closeness that we passed in front of them. I also think that the air carrier Z MD80 may have overshot their turn to final to runway 19L. Another thing that I think contributed to this occurrence is the fact that the controllers were trying to facilitate ground operations due to the fact that our airline's gates are closer to runway 19R, therefore the preferential runway for us to land on is runway 19R, even though this caused us to cross the path of the air carrier Z aircraft landing on runway 19L. In this instance, I think it would be safer for the controllers to have given us landing clearance on runway 19L and landed air carrier Z on runway 19R behind air carrier Y, or alternately had us enter a right downwind on the west of the airport so as to not have us cross the final to runway 19L while aircraft were on approach to this runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 3 MD80 ACFT ARRIVE ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE MCI TFC PATTERN. VISUAL CLRNCS WERE REQUESTED AND ISSUED. CONFUSION DEVELOPED AS TO WHICH MD-80 WAS APPLYING VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THE OTHER MD-80'S.

Narrative: I WAS PF AND MY CAPT WAS WORKING THE RADIOS AS WE WERE APCHING MCI FROM THE S TO LAND ON RWY 19R. AS WE WERE ON A L DOWNWIND E OF THE ARPT THERE WAS A RADIO CALL FROM ATC TO AN ACR Y FLT, 'MAINTAIN SPD 170 KTS TILL 5 MI FINAL.' WE WERE DSNDING THROUGH 7000 FT, CLRED DOWN TO 5000 FT ON ABOUT MIDFIELD DOWNWIND. AFTER ABEAM TOUCHDOWN, WE WERE GIVEN A 330 DEG HDG. THEN ABOUT 7 MI N OF THE ARPT, WE WERE GIVEN A 280 DEG HDG. AT THIS TIME MY CAPT INFORMED APCH THAT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND THAT WE HAD AN ACFT IN SIGHT AT 9 O'CLOCK POS. ATC INFORMED US THAT THAT ACFT WAS ON APCH TO RWY 19L AND THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19R, MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THAT ACFT. I SAW THE 9 O'CLOCK POS TFC ALSO, AND I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS THE ACR Y FLT MENTIONED EARLIER. I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS ON APCH TO RWY 19R, OUR RWY (WHICH IT WAS). AT THIS TIME, I CONTINUED DSCNT FOR RWY 19R AND STARTED A TURN TOWARDS THE ARPT. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, ATC INFORMED ACR Z OF OUR ACFT, AN MD80 AT XX O'CLOCK POS AND XX MI. (I DO NOT REMEMBER WHAT LOCATION THE CTLRS GAVE AS OUR POS.) THE PLT OF ACR Z INFORMED ATC THAT HE HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE MD80. ATC THEN CLRED ACR Z FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 19L AND TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THE MD80 ON FINAL TO RWY 19R. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, AS I WAS MONITORING OUR SEPARATION WITH ACR Y ABOUT 3-4 MI IN FRONT OF US ON OUR TCAS, I NOTICED ANOTHER ACFT AT OUR 7-8 O'CLOCK POS AND DISTANCE CLOSING, AND 400 FT BELOW US. I THEN ADDED PWR TO ARREST OUR DSCNT. WE GOT A TA AT 300 FT ABOVE THIS TARGET, AT WHICH TIME I HAD THE DSCNT ARRESTED AND MAINTAINED ALT. DURING THIS TIME, I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE HAD THIS TFC IN SIGHT. HE WAS ALSO LOOKING FOR THIS TFC AND SAID THAT HE HAD IT IN SIGHT AND THAT IT WAS PRETTY CLOSE, AND LOOKED LIKE IT HAD OVERSHOT FINAL FOR RWY 19L. I MAINTAINED ALT AND PROCEEDED R OF FINAL FOR RWY 19R UNTIL I ALSO HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH ACR Z AND WE DETERMINED THAT ACR Z WAS CORRECTING L TO LINE UP WITH RWY 19L. AT THIS TIME, I JOINED THE ILS COURSE AND GS AND CONTINUED WITH THE APCH AND LNDG ON RWY 19R. I WILL NOW INDICATE SOME OF THE REASONS I THINK THAT THIS OCCURRED. FIRST THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION OVER WHICH RWY THAT ACR Y WAS LNDG ON. MY CAPT THOUGHT THAT THE CTLR SAID THAT ACR Y WAS ON APCH TO RWY 19R. HE WAS OPERATING THE RADIO, SO HE MAY HAVE BEEN CORRECT. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED OF ACR Z. WHAT I THINK OCCURRED IS THAT THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT WE SAW THE ACR Z MD80 AT 3 O'CLOCK POS ON APCH TO RWY 19L, RATHER THAN THE ACR Y MD80 AT 9 O'CLOCK POS, WHEN MY CAPT RPTED AN ACFT IN SIGHT AT 9 O'CLOCK POS AND THAT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. DUE TO THIS, THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT WE HAD THE ACR Z MD80 IN SIGHT AND WERE KEEPING VISUAL SEPARATION WITH IT AS WE PASSED IN FRONT OF IT. I ALSO THINK THAT THE ACR Z MD80 PLTS MAY NOT HAVE SEEN OUR ACFT BUT MAY HAVE SEEN THE ACR Y MD80 ON FINAL TO RWY 19R ABOUT 5 MI IN FRONT OF THEM AS THEY WERE PROBABLY LOOKING DOWN AND TOWARD THE ARPT. OUR ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGH IN THEIR WINDSHIELD AND MAY NOT BEEN IN VIEW TO THEM DUE TO THE CLOSENESS THAT WE PASSED IN FRONT OF THEM. I ALSO THINK THAT THE ACR Z MD80 MAY HAVE OVERSHOT THEIR TURN TO FINAL TO RWY 19L. ANOTHER THING THAT I THINK CONTRIBUTED TO THIS OCCURRENCE IS THE FACT THAT THE CTLRS WERE TRYING TO FACILITATE GND OPS DUE TO THE FACT THAT OUR AIRLINE'S GATES ARE CLOSER TO RWY 19R, THEREFORE THE PREFERENTIAL RWY FOR US TO LAND ON IS RWY 19R, EVEN THOUGH THIS CAUSED US TO CROSS THE PATH OF THE ACR Z ACFT LNDG ON RWY 19L. IN THIS INSTANCE, I THINK IT WOULD BE SAFER FOR THE CTLRS TO HAVE GIVEN US LNDG CLRNC ON RWY 19L AND LANDED ACR Z ON RWY 19R BEHIND ACR Y, OR ALTERNATELY HAD US ENTER A R DOWNWIND ON THE W OF THE ARPT SO AS TO NOT HAVE US CROSS THE FINAL TO RWY 19L WHILE ACFT WERE ON APCH TO THIS RWY.

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.