Narrative:

We had held short of stp runway 14 for about 2 mins waiting for a training cessna on an IFR flight plan to complete a practice approach and touch and go. After the cessna touched down we were cleared into position to hold. When the cessna was at about 500 ft AGL; he was told to turn left heading 110 degrees. We were cleared for takeoff and instructed to maintain runway heading. Reaching 1000 ft AGL (1700 ft indicated MSL) we were advised to turn left to heading 060 degrees as we continued our climb to cleared altitude 2500 ft MSL. The cessna was instructed to maintain 2000 ft MSL upon reaching and that we would be flying over him! We were asked if we had the cessna traffic in sight and we acknowledged that we did. At this time he was about 1000 ft below us. A few moments later he passed out of view as he passed below us. We immediately thereafter received an RA to which we responded as is our policy. As we had leveled at 2500 ft MSL prior to passing over the cessna; we had to exceed that altitude. We were unable to determine if the cessna had climbed above his assigned altitude of 2000 ft; but we had to assume that he did so. At the same time we were given a frequency change from tower to minneapolis departure control. He immediately cleared us to 3000 ft MSL. We did not report our RA; we simply continued our climb to 3000 ft which resolved the RA. Clearly a number of things went wrong here. Had we been cleared into position and allowed to take off while the cessna was on approach we would have been long gone by the time he reached the runway and no conflict could have existed. Secondly; it is foolhardy to clear a high performance aircraft to follow (immediately) a low performance aircraft on an IFR departure in the same direction. Lastly; it makes little sense to provide 1 aircraft an intercept heading toward another aircraft that is climbing toward him (particularly a high wing aircraft that has little upward visibility).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: G5 DEP FROM STP EXPERIENCED TCAS RA AT 2500 FT WITH PRIOR VFR DEP.

Narrative: WE HAD HELD SHORT OF STP RWY 14 FOR ABOUT 2 MINS WAITING FOR A TRAINING CESSNA ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TO COMPLETE A PRACTICE APCH AND TOUCH AND GO. AFTER THE CESSNA TOUCHED DOWN WE WERE CLRED INTO POS TO HOLD. WHEN THE CESSNA WAS AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL; HE WAS TOLD TO TURN L HDG 110 DEGS. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN RWY HDG. REACHING 1000 FT AGL (1700 FT INDICATED MSL) WE WERE ADVISED TO TURN L TO HDG 060 DEGS AS WE CONTINUED OUR CLB TO CLRED ALT 2500 FT MSL. THE CESSNA WAS INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT MSL UPON REACHING AND THAT WE WOULD BE FLYING OVER HIM! WE WERE ASKED IF WE HAD THE CESSNA TFC IN SIGHT AND WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE DID. AT THIS TIME HE WAS ABOUT 1000 FT BELOW US. A FEW MOMENTS LATER HE PASSED OUT OF VIEW AS HE PASSED BELOW US. WE IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER RECEIVED AN RA TO WHICH WE RESPONDED AS IS OUR POLICY. AS WE HAD LEVELED AT 2500 FT MSL PRIOR TO PASSING OVER THE CESSNA; WE HAD TO EXCEED THAT ALT. WE WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE CESSNA HAD CLBED ABOVE HIS ASSIGNED ALT OF 2000 FT; BUT WE HAD TO ASSUME THAT HE DID SO. AT THE SAME TIME WE WERE GIVEN A FREQ CHANGE FROM TWR TO MINNEAPOLIS DEP CTL. HE IMMEDIATELY CLRED US TO 3000 FT MSL. WE DID NOT RPT OUR RA; WE SIMPLY CONTINUED OUR CLB TO 3000 FT WHICH RESOLVED THE RA. CLRLY A NUMBER OF THINGS WENT WRONG HERE. HAD WE BEEN CLRED INTO POS AND ALLOWED TO TAKE OFF WHILE THE CESSNA WAS ON APCH WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LONG GONE BY THE TIME HE REACHED THE RWY AND NO CONFLICT COULD HAVE EXISTED. SECONDLY; IT IS FOOLHARDY TO CLR A HIGH PERFORMANCE ACFT TO FOLLOW (IMMEDIATELY) A LOW PERFORMANCE ACFT ON AN IFR DEP IN THE SAME DIRECTION. LASTLY; IT MAKES LITTLE SENSE TO PROVIDE 1 ACFT AN INTERCEPT HDG TOWARD ANOTHER ACFT THAT IS CLBING TOWARD HIM (PARTICULARLY A HIGH WING ACFT THAT HAS LITTLE UPWARD VISIBILITY).

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.