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B737-800 captain reported encountering wake turbulence at FL370 from an A380 that was 20 miles away and 1;000 feet above them.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1273396 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201506 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | B737-800 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | A380 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter |
Narrative:
Cruising at FL370 in smooth air; seatbelt sign off. Encountered a moderate double bump that was quite violent that felt like wake. Immediately turned on seatbelt sign and called the fas to see if anyone was hurt and fortunately everyone was ok. Called ATC and asked if any aircraft were near us. They told us we crossed 1;000 feet below a super A380 that was 20 miles away to our right. We told ATC we went through their wake. ATC thought the distance was sufficient. The quartering tailwind of about 20 [KTS] kept the wake in our path and caused us to encounter the turbulence. Not suspecting and having the seatbelt sign off could have easily caused injuries or aircraft upset at high altitude. Perhaps ATC should give more spacing during light winds and tailwinds to the lower crossing aircraft below a super or at a minimum; issue an advisory.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737-800 Captain reported encountering wake turbulence at FL370 from an A380 that was 20 miles away and 1;000 feet above them.
Narrative: Cruising at FL370 in smooth air; seatbelt sign off. Encountered a moderate double bump that was quite violent that felt like wake. Immediately turned on seatbelt sign and called the FAs to see if anyone was hurt and fortunately everyone was ok. Called ATC and asked if any aircraft were near us. They told us we crossed 1;000 feet below a Super A380 that was 20 miles away to our right. We told ATC we went through their wake. ATC thought the distance was sufficient. The quartering tailwind of about 20 [KTS] kept the wake in our path and caused us to encounter the turbulence. Not suspecting and having the seatbelt sign off could have easily caused injuries or aircraft upset at high altitude. Perhaps ATC should give more spacing during light winds and tailwinds to the lower crossing aircraft below a Super or at a minimum; issue an advisory.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.