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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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An air carrier flight crew experienced an near midair collision with a PA34 that descended to the same altitude while attempting to avoid the air carrier. The conflicting aircraft was descending because the pilot thought that the air carrier was climbing. The air carrier was on an IFR departure from sna.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 337826 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199606 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : sna |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 4000 msl bound upper : 4000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : sna tower : sjc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | climbout : initial |
| Route In Use | departure other departure sid : sid |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-34-200 Seneca I |
| Operating Under FAR Part | other : unknown |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 1200 |
| ASRS Report | 337826 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : nmac non adherence : clearance non adherence : far |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : took evasive action other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 499 vertical : 0 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
We were flying the published departure heading of 175 degrees when departure controller assigned 4000 ft due to opposite direction traffic maintaining 4500 ft. At our leveloff, TCASII had a target at 11 O'clock to 11:30 position, plus 300 ft above us. Soon after that, TCASII issued a TA, and ATC gave us a right turn to 200 degrees, and we then got a descend RA. ATC was quizzing the other pilot as our TCASII went to increase rate of descent. I then saw the light twin seleca pass just left of us, same altitude, less than 500 ft. The pilot told ATC he saw us climbing toward him so he decided to descend below us rather than to maintain the 4500 ft assigned. My late visual contact was caused by going into the sun/haze, as well as scanning the TCASII alerts inside the cockpit. First officer as PF said he responded slowly to the first RA descend so as not to overbank the aircraft. This also caused me to come back inside the cockpit to discover what our position attitude was in relation to the TCASII RA increasing. The light twin was in transit to van nuys. He was inbound on the outbound departure corridor which creates congestion in that hazy environment. Seems like it would be better to cross traffic than run opposite direction parallel.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR FLC EXPERIENCED AN NMAC WITH A PA34 THAT DSNDED TO THE SAME ALT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO AVOID THE ACR. THE CONFLICTING ACFT WAS DSNDING BECAUSE THE PLT THOUGHT THAT THE ACR WAS CLBING. THE ACR WAS ON AN IFR DEP FROM SNA.
Narrative: WE WERE FLYING THE PUBLISHED DEP HDG OF 175 DEGS WHEN DEP CTLR ASSIGNED 4000 FT DUE TO OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC MAINTAINING 4500 FT. AT OUR LEVELOFF, TCASII HAD A TARGET AT 11 O'CLOCK TO 11:30 POS, PLUS 300 FT ABOVE US. SOON AFTER THAT, TCASII ISSUED A TA, AND ATC GAVE US A R TURN TO 200 DEGS, AND WE THEN GOT A DSND RA. ATC WAS QUIZZING THE OTHER PLT AS OUR TCASII WENT TO INCREASE RATE OF DSCNT. I THEN SAW THE LIGHT TWIN SELECA PASS JUST L OF US, SAME ALT, LESS THAN 500 FT. THE PLT TOLD ATC HE SAW US CLBING TOWARD HIM SO HE DECIDED TO DSND BELOW US RATHER THAN TO MAINTAIN THE 4500 FT ASSIGNED. MY LATE VISUAL CONTACT WAS CAUSED BY GOING INTO THE SUN/HAZE, AS WELL AS SCANNING THE TCASII ALERTS INSIDE THE COCKPIT. FO AS PF SAID HE RESPONDED SLOWLY TO THE FIRST RA DSND SO AS NOT TO OVERBANK THE ACFT. THIS ALSO CAUSED ME TO COME BACK INSIDE THE COCKPIT TO DISCOVER WHAT OUR POS ATTITUDE WAS IN RELATION TO THE TCASII RA INCREASING. THE LIGHT TWIN WAS IN TRANSIT TO VAN NUYS. HE WAS INBOUND ON THE OUTBOUND DEP CORRIDOR WHICH CREATES CONGESTION IN THAT HAZY ENVIRONMENT. SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO CROSS TFC THAN RUN OPPOSITE DIRECTION PARALLEL.
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.