Incident Overview
On 21 November 2014, a serious incident involving a near collision occurred between two Boeing F/A-18C fighter aircraft, registered as J-5013 and J-5006, operating under callsigns Hawk13 and Hawk14 for the Swiss Air Force, and a Piper PA-28-181 Archer II, registered as HB-PKK. The event took place approximately 14.5 nautical miles northeast of Payerne airfield (LSMP).
Aircraft and Crew
The two F/A-18C aircraft were military jets operated by the Swiss Air Force. The PA-28-181 Archer II is a light single-engine aircraft. No details about the crew or pilot qualifications are provided beyond their involvement in the incident.
Airspace and Communication
The incident occurred in Class E airspace. The light aircraft was flying under visual flight rules (VFR), while the combat aircraft were under radar guidance. Communication for traffic management was conducted on different frequencies within the same airspace, which was identified as a contributing factor.
Causes as Stated
According to the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB), the serious incident was caused by the dangerous proximity between the combat aircraft under radar guidance and the light aircraft operating under VFR in Class E airspace, resulting from a late detection of the conflict. Two factors played a role: (1) traffic management in the same airspace on different frequencies, and (2) inappropriate classification of the airspace for IFR flights from an air force base with high traffic volume.