Narrative:

On feb fri, 2003 an air carrier X, MD80 and a navy pensacola T34 trainer were involved in a near midair collision about 7 mi southeast of pensacola regional airport in pensacola, fl. The crew of the MD80 aircraft was noticeably shaken by this incident. Air carrier X was deeply concerned by this event. So much so that they requested from pensacola approach control all mins of any meetings held in reference to the follow up investigation of this near midair collision. When pensacola approach control and the us navy scheduled a meeting about the activities of the T34's in this training area, representatives from air carrier X requested permission to be present. Pensacola approach control was more than willing to honor this request, however the us navy declined to allow it. I have been an ATC at this facility since 19XX time and time again I have seen attempts made by concerned controllers, pilots, and citizens to alleviate the congestion of aircraft performing aerobatic maneuvers in the vicinity of pensacola beach. This area stretches from navarre beach, fl to pensacola beach (casino beach), fl and also north inland to the area around interstate 10 at the avalon blvd exit (I10 exit 22). These aerobatics are being performed from just above the pensacola class C up to thirteen thousand five hundred ft MSL. They are also being performed along the beach areas down to nearly the surface in the areas that are not protected by the pensacola class C. In the time that I have worked here, the area underlying these aerobatics has seen significant increases in multi-story condominiums. Single family housing has increased as well. The area known as tiger point and east to and including navarre beach has seen substantial increases in housing and businesses. Along with this increase in population there has also been an increase in commercial jet traffic and civil air traffic as well. The amount of air traffic flying to, through, or around these beach areas has, if I had to describe in one word, 'saturated' over the course of these past twenty yrs. What concerns me most about this situation is that after the near midair collision with the MD80, pns approach and the us navy met (this is the meeting the us navy didn't want air carrier X representatives to attend) and decided that this was indeed an unsafe situation. Unfortunately, not only has nothing significant been done to alleviate the situation, it appears to be getting worse. Now more T34 aircraft than ever are flying down to the beach area and performing aerobatic maneuvers. Today I was working the sector that handles these aircraft, and there were 9 different flts in the same area performing aerobatics at the same time. It is extremely difficult to assist aircraft in avoiding these training maneuvers. Some of these aircraft perform a maneuver so extreme it is called 'out of controled flight' (ocf). Even air carriers with TCAS and high performance military aircraft that have there own radar onboard have had their hands full over the yrs avoiding these aerobatic T34 aircraft. It appears that the us navy will not see fit to move these reckless operations unless they are absolutely required to do so. There are hundreds of square mi of uncongested air and land that these maneuvers could be performed over. I feel very strongly that if you asked all the ATC at pensacola TRACON and all the pilots that fly into and through this area (including the pilots of the T34's performing these maneuvers) if they felt the level of safety needed to protect the flying public can continue to be maintained, they would respond with the near unanimous 'no!'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: P31 CTLR EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION OVER CONTINUED CONFLICTS BTWN NAVY TRAINING ACFT AND COMMERCIAL CIVIL ACFT NEAR PNS.

Narrative: ON FEB FRI, 2003 AN ACR X, MD80 AND A NAVY PENSACOLA T34 TRAINER WERE INVOLVED IN A NEAR MIDAIR COLLISION ABOUT 7 MI SE OF PENSACOLA REGIONAL ARPT IN PENSACOLA, FL. THE CREW OF THE MD80 ACFT WAS NOTICEABLY SHAKEN BY THIS INCIDENT. ACR X WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED BY THIS EVENT. SO MUCH SO THAT THEY REQUESTED FROM PENSACOLA APCH CTL ALL MINS OF ANY MEETINGS HELD IN REFERENCE TO THE FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATION OF THIS NMAC. WHEN PENSACOLA APCH CTL AND THE US NAVY SCHEDULED A MEETING ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE T34'S IN THIS TRAINING AREA, REPRESENTATIVES FROM ACR X REQUESTED PERMISSION TO BE PRESENT. PENSACOLA APCH CTL WAS MORE THAN WILLING TO HONOR THIS REQUEST, HOWEVER THE US NAVY DECLINED TO ALLOW IT. I HAVE BEEN AN ATC AT THIS FACILITY SINCE 19XX TIME AND TIME AGAIN I HAVE SEEN ATTEMPTS MADE BY CONCERNED CTLRS, PLTS, AND CITIZENS TO ALLEVIATE THE CONGESTION OF ACFT PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS IN THE VICINITY OF PENSACOLA BEACH. THIS AREA STRETCHES FROM NAVARRE BEACH, FL TO PENSACOLA BEACH (CASINO BEACH), FL AND ALSO N INLAND TO THE AREA AROUND INTERSTATE 10 AT THE AVALON BLVD EXIT (I10 EXIT 22). THESE AEROBATICS ARE BEING PERFORMED FROM JUST ABOVE THE PENSACOLA CLASS C UP TO THIRTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FT MSL. THEY ARE ALSO BEING PERFORMED ALONG THE BEACH AREAS DOWN TO NEARLY THE SURFACE IN THE AREAS THAT ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE PENSACOLA CLASS C. IN THE TIME THAT I HAVE WORKED HERE, THE AREA UNDERLYING THESE AEROBATICS HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN MULTI-STORY CONDOMINIUMS. SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING HAS INCREASED AS WELL. THE AREA KNOWN AS TIGER POINT AND E TO AND INCLUDING NAVARRE BEACH HAS SEEN SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN HOUSING AND BUSINESSES. ALONG WITH THIS INCREASE IN POPULATION THERE HAS ALSO BEEN AN INCREASE IN COMMERCIAL JET TFC AND CIVIL AIR TRAFFIC AS WELL. THE AMOUNT OF AIR TRAFFIC FLYING TO, THROUGH, OR AROUND THESE BEACH AREAS HAS, IF I HAD TO DESCRIBE IN ONE WORD, 'SATURATED' OVER THE COURSE OF THESE PAST TWENTY YRS. WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST ABOUT THIS SIT IS THAT AFTER THE NMAC WITH THE MD80, PNS APCH AND THE US NAVY MET (THIS IS THE MEETING THE US NAVY DIDN'T WANT ACR X REPRESENTATIVES TO ATTEND) AND DECIDED THAT THIS WAS INDEED AN UNSAFE SIT. UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ONLY HAS NOTHING SIGNIFICANT BEEN DONE TO ALLEVIATE THE SIT, IT APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE. NOW MORE T34 ACFT THAN EVER ARE FLYING DOWN TO THE BEACH AREA AND PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. TODAY I WAS WORKING THE SECTOR THAT HANDLES THESE ACFT, AND THERE WERE 9 DIFFERENT FLTS IN THE SAME AREA PERFORMING AEROBATICS AT THE SAME TIME. IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO ASSIST ACFT IN AVOIDING THESE TRAINING MANEUVERS. SOME OF THESE ACFT PERFORM A MANEUVER SO EXTREME IT IS CALLED 'OUT OF CTLED FLT' (OCF). EVEN AIR CARRIERS WITH TCAS AND HIGH PERFORMANCE MILITARY ACFT THAT HAVE THERE OWN RADAR ONBOARD HAVE HAD THEIR HANDS FULL OVER THE YRS AVOIDING THESE AEROBATIC T34 ACFT. IT APPEARS THAT THE US NAVY WILL NOT SEE FIT TO MOVE THESE RECKLESS OPS UNLESS THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED TO DO SO. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SQUARE MI OF UNCONGESTED AIR AND LAND THAT THESE MANEUVERS COULD BE PERFORMED OVER. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT IF YOU ASKED ALL THE ATC AT PENSACOLA TRACON AND ALL THE PLTS THAT FLY INTO AND THROUGH THIS AREA (INCLUDING THE PLTS OF THE T34'S PERFORMING THESE MANEUVERS) IF THEY FELT THE LEVEL OF SAFETY NEEDED TO PROTECT THE FLYING PUBLIC CAN CONTINUE TO BE MAINTAINED, THEY WOULD RESPOND WITH THE NEAR UNANIMOUS 'NO!'

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.