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A320 crew and a flight of 2, military C130's, on an airdrop mission, had less than legal separation in ZLA class east.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 557224 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200208 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | intersection : brows |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | msl single value : 13000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : sct.tracon |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | A320 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | departure sid : border 4 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : sct.tracon |
| Operator | other |
| Make Model Name | Hercules (C-130) |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 8600 flight time type : 2000 |
| ASRS Report | 557224 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued advisory flight crew : took evasive action |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 9000 vertical : 500 |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Operational Error Inter Facility Coordination Failure other |
Narrative:
We departed san on the border departure. As we approached aprpox 10000 ft, ATC called out traffic as a C130 at 13000 ft at our 2 O'clock position, who was the #2 man in a 2-SHIP airdrop formation. We were told the formation would be turning to the right shortly as we picked up the #2 man visually. We quickly passed him and were about 3 mi away and approximately 2000 ft below him. We told ATC we had a visual, but were given no further instructions. ATC next called out the lead aircraft at 12-1 O'clock position and 13000 ft. We eventually picked him out visually as ATC again said they would be turning right shortly. We continued to fly the departure since ATC gave us no other instructions. We also crosschecked the TCASII, but got no indications the entire time even though it was working normally for other traffic. As we got closer to the C130 it became evident that we would be closer to him than we would prefer, so I started to turn the aircraft left about 10 degrees. We did this about the same time ATC said we could go left if we needed to. The whole time we watched the TCASII expecting a traffic call, but none ever came. We passed about 1-2 mi away from the C130 as we were climbing above him. We were surprised by our closure rate and would have taken earlier action if we had realized. We also got lulled into a false sense of security expecting a TCASII advisory. We didn't get close enough to take hard evasive action, but it was closer than we would have liked. Lesson...trust your own eyes!
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A320 CREW AND A FLT OF 2, MIL C130'S, ON AN AIRDROP MISSION, HAD LESS THAN LEGAL SEPARATION IN ZLA CLASS E.
Narrative: WE DEPARTED SAN ON THE BORDER DEP. AS WE APCHED APRPOX 10000 FT, ATC CALLED OUT TFC AS A C130 AT 13000 FT AT OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS, WHO WAS THE #2 MAN IN A 2-SHIP AIRDROP FORMATION. WE WERE TOLD THE FORMATION WOULD BE TURNING TO THE R SHORTLY AS WE PICKED UP THE #2 MAN VISUALLY. WE QUICKLY PASSED HIM AND WERE ABOUT 3 MI AWAY AND APPROX 2000 FT BELOW HIM. WE TOLD ATC WE HAD A VISUAL, BUT WERE GIVEN NO FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. ATC NEXT CALLED OUT THE LEAD ACFT AT 12-1 O'CLOCK POS AND 13000 FT. WE EVENTUALLY PICKED HIM OUT VISUALLY AS ATC AGAIN SAID THEY WOULD BE TURNING R SHORTLY. WE CONTINUED TO FLY THE DEP SINCE ATC GAVE US NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. WE ALSO XCHKED THE TCASII, BUT GOT NO INDICATIONS THE ENTIRE TIME EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WORKING NORMALLY FOR OTHER TFC. AS WE GOT CLOSER TO THE C130 IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT WE WOULD BE CLOSER TO HIM THAN WE WOULD PREFER, SO I STARTED TO TURN THE ACFT L ABOUT 10 DEGS. WE DID THIS ABOUT THE SAME TIME ATC SAID WE COULD GO L IF WE NEEDED TO. THE WHOLE TIME WE WATCHED THE TCASII EXPECTING A TFC CALL, BUT NONE EVER CAME. WE PASSED ABOUT 1-2 MI AWAY FROM THE C130 AS WE WERE CLBING ABOVE HIM. WE WERE SURPRISED BY OUR CLOSURE RATE AND WOULD HAVE TAKEN EARLIER ACTION IF WE HAD REALIZED. WE ALSO GOT LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY EXPECTING A TCASII ADVISORY. WE DIDN'T GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO TAKE HARD EVASIVE ACTION, BUT IT WAS CLOSER THAN WE WOULD HAVE LIKED. LESSON...TRUST YOUR OWN EYES!
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.