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A B767-300 enroute to hnl from west coast reported that another air carrier habitually offsets their track; causing wake vortex problems for flights behind and below them.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 884533 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201004 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZOA.ARTCC |
| State Reference | CA |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B767-300 and 300 ER |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Oceanic |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter |
Narrative:
Westbound west coast-hnl approx FL350 an aircraft passes us while practicing their standard offset procedure of 1 mile to the right of centerline. The problem was we were downwind and below their offset with no concern for wake turbulence being offered by the flight crew when queried about the consequences of their standard procedures. We subsequently decided to offset to match the offset and avoid the possibility of a prolonged wake turbulence event. If the air carrier wants to operate with an offset as SOP; they should provide contingencies to their crews to prevent wake turbulence events to other aircraft due to their procedures. All other aircraft should not have to alter their flight paths to accommodate aircraft upwind and at higher altitudes who elect to offset for whatever reasons. If courtesy does not dictate a more reasonable approach then safety should.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A B767-300 enroute to HNL from West Coast reported that another Air Carrier habitually offsets their track; causing wake vortex problems for flights behind and below them.
Narrative: Westbound West Coast-HNL approx FL350 an aircraft passes us while practicing their standard offset procedure of 1 mile to the right of centerline. The problem was we were downwind and below their offset with no concern for wake turbulence being offered by the flight crew when queried about the consequences of their standard procedures. We subsequently decided to offset to match the offset and avoid the possibility of a prolonged wake turbulence event. If the air carrier wants to operate with an offset as SOP; they should provide contingencies to their crews to prevent wake turbulence events to other aircraft due to their procedures. All other aircraft should not have to alter their flight paths to accommodate aircraft upwind and at higher altitudes who elect to offset for whatever reasons. If courtesy does not dictate a more reasonable approach then safety should.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.