Air carrier B727 has near midair collision with C172 during initial climb. Simultaneous departures, ...

Attributes
ACN	340580
Time
Date	199607
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bhm
State Reference	AL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 100 agl bound upper : 200
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : bhm
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff climbout : initial
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : initial
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 7500 flight time type : 5500
ASRS Report	340580
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : second officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 4000
ASRS Report	340579
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 400
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Narrative:

Flight bhm-atl taxi out normal. Notified tower ready to depart from runway 5. Tower reported traffic 4 mi out for runway 5 and cleared our flight for takeoff runway 5. Without delay, captain added power to move the aircraft onto the runway and called for the final items on the before takeoff checklist. Without stopping in position, captain set takeoff power when the aircraft was lined up and ready. Well into the takeoff roll, I heard tower clear an aircraft to depart runway 36. At that moment I repeated what I heard to the captain. Airspeed about 100-110 KTS. After the V1 vr call, the captain rotated the aircraft. It was about that time I first saw the cessna climbing above the airport buildings between runway 5 and runway 36. It was immediately clear we had a conflict. I pointed out the traffic and motioned with my hand for the captain to keep the nose down, our aircraft was at about 50 ft. We did not raise the gear and with my coaching, captain held our climb to less than 100 FPM. The 2 aircraft converged on the runway intersection at the same time. Cessna 172 altitude 500-600 ft estimated. Out flight altitude about 200 ft estimated. Lateral distance less than 100 ft. Our action: significant reduction in takeoff climb to avoid midair. Problem arose: tower personnel operational error. Contributing factors: intersecting runways. Pilot view obstructed by airport buildings. The crew of air carrier flight became interested but not alarmed at the clearance for the cessna to takeoff runway 36. Certainly not enough to abort at high speed. Why? Because towers, everywhere, will grant takeoff clearance to aircraft on txwys -- sometimes 2-3 mins from the runway. Supplemental information from acn 340579: he took no obvious evasive action. We significantly decreased our after liftoff climb rate which permitted the cessna to fly directly over us. If we had not seen each other (no advisory or direction was given by the control tower) the cessna would have flown through our vortices/jet wash immediately behind us.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR B727 HAS NMAC WITH C172 DURING INITIAL CLB. SIMULTANEOUS DEPS, MULTIPLE RWY OP INTERSECTING RWYS. ACR FLC EXPERIENCED VISUAL INTERFERENCE ON XING TFC. TFC SIGHTED EVASIVE ACTION LEVELOFF. SEE AND AVOID CONCEPT WORKED.

Narrative: FLT BHM-ATL TAXI OUT NORMAL. NOTIFIED TWR READY TO DEPART FROM RWY 5. TWR RPTED TFC 4 MI OUT FOR RWY 5 AND CLRED OUR FLT FOR TKOF RWY 5. WITHOUT DELAY, CAPT ADDED PWR TO MOVE THE ACFT ONTO THE RWY AND CALLED FOR THE FINAL ITEMS ON THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. WITHOUT STOPPING IN POS, CAPT SET TKOF PWR WHEN THE ACFT WAS LINED UP AND READY. WELL INTO THE TKOF ROLL, I HEARD TWR CLR AN ACFT TO DEPART RWY 36. AT THAT MOMENT I REPEATED WHAT I HEARD TO THE CAPT. AIRSPD ABOUT 100-110 KTS. AFTER THE V1 VR CALL, THE CAPT ROTATED THE ACFT. IT WAS ABOUT THAT TIME I FIRST SAW THE CESSNA CLBING ABOVE THE ARPT BUILDINGS BTWN RWY 5 AND RWY 36. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY CLR WE HAD A CONFLICT. I POINTED OUT THE TFC AND MOTIONED WITH MY HAND FOR THE CAPT TO KEEP THE NOSE DOWN, OUR ACFT WAS AT ABOUT 50 FT. WE DID NOT RAISE THE GEAR AND WITH MY COACHING, CAPT HELD OUR CLB TO LESS THAN 100 FPM. THE 2 ACFT CONVERGED ON THE RWY INTXN AT THE SAME TIME. CESSNA 172 ALT 500-600 FT ESTIMATED. OUT FLT ALT ABOUT 200 FT ESTIMATED. LATERAL DISTANCE LESS THAN 100 FT. OUR ACTION: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN TKOF CLB TO AVOID MIDAIR. PROBLEM AROSE: TWR PERSONNEL OPERROR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: INTERSECTING RWYS. PLT VIEW OBSTRUCTED BY ARPT BUILDINGS. THE CREW OF ACR FLT BECAME INTERESTED BUT NOT ALARMED AT THE CLRNC FOR THE CESSNA TO TKOF RWY 36. CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH TO ABORT AT HIGH SPD. WHY? BECAUSE TWRS, EVERYWHERE, WILL GRANT TKOF CLRNC TO ACFT ON TXWYS -- SOMETIMES 2-3 MINS FROM THE RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 340579: HE TOOK NO OBVIOUS EVASIVE ACTION. WE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED OUR AFTER LIFTOFF CLB RATE WHICH PERMITTED THE CESSNA TO FLY DIRECTLY OVER US. IF WE HAD NOT SEEN EACH OTHER (NO ADVISORY OR DIRECTION WAS GIVEN BY THE CTL TWR) THE CESSNA WOULD HAVE FLOWN THROUGH OUR VORTICES/JET WASH IMMEDIATELY BEHIND US.

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.

Air carrier B727 has near midair collision with C172 during initial climb. Simultaneous departures, multiple runway operation intersecting runways. Air carrier flight crew experienced visual interference on crossing traffic. Traffic sighted evasive action leveloff. See and avoid concept worked.