What happened
On October 3, 2024, at 12:16 UTC, an Airbus A3HD (registration TS-INF) operating flight LBT7545 entered the active TSA07 airspace south of the Zielona Góra (EPZG) TMA. The aircraft was traveling from Zielona Góra to Monastir. The deviation occurred while the pilot was performing maneuvers to avoid heavy cloud cover and unfavorable weather conditions.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight path, the communication between the pilot and the air traffic controller (ATC) at Zielona Góra, and the technical capabilities of the local control tower. The investigation established that the pilot's departure route had to be modified due to weather, which led to the airspace infringement. The inquiry also looked into the coordination between the Zielona Góra tower and the Poznań Approach (APP PO) during the incident.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the airspace infringement:
- Weather avoidance: The necessity to deviate from the original flight plan to avoid dangerous cloud formations.
- Communication barriers: The pilot experienced difficulty understanding instructions from the controller, likely due to the stress of flying in difficult weather and a lack of familiarity with the specific airspace.
- Lack of situational awareness for ATC: The controller at the Zielona Góra tower operates in a single-person mode (SPO2/LPO3) without radar access, making it difficult to visually confirm when an aircraft exits the TMA and enters the TSA07 zone.
- Coordination failures: The existing Voice Communication System (VCS) hindered effective coordination. At the time of the incident, the controller attempted to contact Poznań Approach, but the process was delayed by busy lines and simultaneous incoming call signals at the approach center.
Safety action
The investigation noted that the management of the investigating body has shared the findings with the Zielona Góra and Poznań air traffic units to emphasize the importance of transferring aircraft to Poznań Approach communications as soon as they reach the boundary of the airspace. Additionally, technical changes were made to the VCS at the Poznań Approach sector to ensure that incoming calls from Zielona Góra are more clearly identified and routed correctly.