What happened
On 3 February 2004, a private IFR flight operating a Beech 58, registration HB-GPC, was en route from Berne to Geneva. While cruising at flight level FL090 near the ROMOM waypoint, the aircraft encountered a high-speed military F5F Tiger, registration J-3202, which was conducting a VFR training mission.
The military aircraft had departed from Payerne and was climbing through the airway G5. At approximately 07:32 UTC, the two aircraft converged perpendicularly. Radar data and controller reports indicate that the aircraft passed with a minimum lateral separation of 0.7 NM and an altitude difference of 400 FT. While the pilot of the HB-GPC reported seeing the traffic, the pilot of the J-3202 did not establish visual contact despite receiving multiple traffic alerts from the Military Airspace Manager.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight paths, radar traces, and communications between the Geneva Arrival radar controller, the Military Airspace Manager (MAM), and the pilots. The inquiry established that the military aircraft was traveling at a very high speed of approximately 420 knots.
Investigators found that the two aircraft were communicating on different ATC frequencies, which prevented direct coordination. Furthermore, the military pilot had chosen a VFR departure route to expedite the training mission, and the aircraft was not equipped with a TCAS or onboard radar capable of identifying the conflicting traffic. The investigation also noted that the incident occurred within class E airspace, where the responsibility of ATC regarding IFR/VFR separation is limited to providing traffic information.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was defective visual airspace monitoring by the pilot of the military F5F Tiger.
- The high speed of the military aircraft (420 knots) made it difficult for the civil controller to initiate evasive maneuvers for the HB-GPC.
- There was an absence of specific coordination procedures between the civil and military air traffic services for this type of encounter.
- The lack of a bilateral radio link between the aircraft in the airway and the relevant ATC unit contributed to the difficulty in managing the conflict.