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Flight crew of BAE3201 is requested to maintain visual separation from a business jet at night. Controller then turns the business jet toward the reporter aircraft and clears for descent. This puts the two aircraft on a path directly toward the bae.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 387151 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199711 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : sgf |
| State Reference | MO |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 8500 msl bound upper : 8500 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : sgf |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | BAe 146-300 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | general aviation : corporate |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Route In Use | enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 4477 flight time type : 850 |
| ASRS Report | 387151 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact none taken : insufficient time |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 500 vertical : 1000 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Operational Error |
Narrative:
We were descending from 14000 ft to 7000 ft at our discretion. The controller asked if we had traffic 12 O'clock position and 12 mi. I said we did. He asked us to maintain visual. I said we could. The controller then told the other aircraft to descend and turn 10 degrees right for the airport. This put us both in high speed dscnts right toward one another at night. Not knowing that the controller was going to do this and being hard to judge at night, we came pretty close to each other (about 500 ft vertical 1000 ft horizontal). The controller should not have turned us both toward each other even though I said I could maintain visual, but especially since he didn't tell us he was going to descend the other aircraft. If we would have known that we would not have accepted visual clearance.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: FLC OF BAE3201 IS REQUESTED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM A BUSINESS JET AT NIGHT. CTLR THEN TURNS THE BUSINESS JET TOWARD THE RPTR ACFT AND CLRS FOR DSCNT. THIS PUTS THE TWO ACFT ON A PATH DIRECTLY TOWARD THE BAE.
Narrative: WE WERE DSNDING FROM 14000 FT TO 7000 FT AT OUR DISCRETION. THE CTLR ASKED IF WE HAD TFC 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 12 MI. I SAID WE DID. HE ASKED US TO MAINTAIN VISUAL. I SAID WE COULD. THE CTLR THEN TOLD THE OTHER ACFT TO DSND AND TURN 10 DEGS R FOR THE ARPT. THIS PUT US BOTH IN HIGH SPD DSCNTS RIGHT TOWARD ONE ANOTHER AT NIGHT. NOT KNOWING THAT THE CTLR WAS GOING TO DO THIS AND BEING HARD TO JUDGE AT NIGHT, WE CAME PRETTY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER (ABOUT 500 FT VERT 1000 FT HORIZ). THE CTLR SHOULD NOT HAVE TURNED US BOTH TOWARD EACH OTHER EVEN THOUGH I SAID I COULD MAINTAIN VISUAL, BUT ESPECIALLY SINCE HE DIDN'T TELL US HE WAS GOING TO DSND THE OTHER ACFT. IF WE WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE ACCEPTED VISUAL CLRNC.
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.