What happened
On April 3, 2015, an Airbus A320 was performing a final approach to runway 29 at Kraków Airport (EPGD) using VOR guidance. During the approach, the aircraft's Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) issued a traffic advisory (TA), alerting the crew to potential conflicting traffic located below their flight path. At the time of the alert, the Kraków Tower air traffic controller had no information regarding other aircraft in the immediate vicinity of the A320.
Shortly after the advisory, the pilot of an EC35 helicopter contacted the tower, reporting that they had departed from the Medical Academy helipad, located approximately 1.5 NM from the approach path for runway 29. The helicopter pilot expressed intentions to proceed to EPGD for refueling. The controller subsequently informed the helicopter crew that they were third in the landing sequence, following the A320 and an Embraer E190.
Following the landing, the A320 crew was informed that the helicopter was the likely source of the TCAS alert.
The investigation
The investigation examined the coordination between the helicopter pilot and air traffic services, as well as the communication capabilities from the Medical Academy helipad. The inquiry focused on why the helicopter entered the controlled airspace (CTR EPGD) without prior coordination and why the controller was unaware of the aircraft's presence.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the lack of prior coordination by the EC35 helicopter pilot regarding their entry into the active EPGD CTR, where other traffic was operating.
- A contributing factor was the difficulty in establishing radio contact from the helipad prior to takeoff, as the elevation of the helipad is lower than the airport's elevation.
Safety action
Following the incident, the involved operators worked together to develop systemic procedures for the use of hospital helipads and other locations within controlled airport airspace. These procedures aim to ensure safe takeoff protocols for emergency medical services.