What happened
On June 29, 2006, at 13:31 local time, a serious near-miss occurred southwest of Nykarleby within the Kauhava military controlled airspace (MILCTA). A formation of three BAe Hawk MK 51 aircraft, conducting air combat training, and a pair of Cessna 152 aircraft, flying a cross-country route from Kokkola to Pori, encountered each other within the active training area.
The Hawk formation leader had established a minimum flight altitude of 1,700 ft and a floor of 3,200 ft for unrestricted maneuvers. Simultaneously, the radar controller cleared the Cessna 152 pair to climb to 2,000 ft or below within the same MILCTA area. While the controller issued traffic advisories to both groups, no vertical separation was maintained between the military formation and the civilian pair.
During the encounter, the lead Hawk crew spotted a white silhouette below them and a second Cessna to their right. The lead pilot of the Cessna 152 pair observed a Hawk approaching from the upper left and executed a nose-down maneuver to avoid a collision, estimating the jet passed approximately 100 meters above them. No injuries or damage were reported.
The investigation
The investigation examined the coordination between military and civilian flight sectors, the adequacy of air traffic control (ATC) procedures, and the situational awareness of the crews. The investigation established that the radar controller was operating in accordance with existing regulations for Class D airspace, which does not require separation of VFR traffic in visual meteorological conditions. However, the investigation found that the controller's flight progress strips did not include the specific minimum altitude constraints set by the Hawk formation leader.
Findings
- Inadequate instructions and procedures allowed ATC to clear VFR traffic through an active military training area based solely on traffic advisories, without established protocols on how to manage such advisories.
- The crews involved had poor situational awareness; the radar controller did not provide frequent updates, and the pilots did not actively request them.
- The radar controller was unaware of the mission-specific altitude limits used by the Hawk formation because these limits were not recorded on the controller's flight progress strips.
- The pilot of the lead Cessna 152 operated under the incorrect assumption that the military aircraft were flying under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and that ATC would provide separation.