History
On the morning of 9 February 2005, an EasyJet Airbus A319, registration G-EZEC, operating flight EZY5262 from Venice to London Gatwick, was flying at flight level (FL) 360 and approaching waypoint SUXAN. The UACC Area East Zurich controller cleared the aircraft to waypoint INTEX. Shortly after, at the request of military ATC, the civil controller cleared EZY5262 and a British Airways B747 (BAW154) on a direct route to Hochwald, changing their headings westward by about 40 degrees.
At the same time, three Swiss Air Force F/A-18 fighters (callsigns Black 5, Black 6, and Black 7) were conducting aerial combat exercises in the Davos, Beverin, and Engadin training areas, which have an upper limit of FL280. Originally, a test flight was scheduled in the airspace above (up to FL660), but it was cancelled. The military controller (Ground Controlled Interceptor, GCI) then allocated the area "Davos, Beverin, Engadin and above" to the formation. The GCI was a trainee monitored by a coach.
Shortly before 10:00 UTC, a foreign state aircraft approached Swiss airspace at FL300, prompting a live identification mission. The GCI aborted the combat exercise and guided Black 5 and Black 6 to intercept the state aircraft. Black 7 was instructed to fly under its own navigation within the Davos, Beverin, and Engadin areas. The pilot acknowledged correctly.
Black 7 initially flew east, then turned southeast and climbed at a high rate. According to radar recordings, the aircraft passed FL282 at 10:02:07 and climbed to FL333 at an average rate of about 3500 ft/min, then continued to FL367. The EasyJet crew received a TCAS resolution advisory (RA) and initiated a climb to FL368. A short-term conflict alert (STCA) was generated on the civil radar. The two aircraft crossed at 10:04:31 with a lateral separation of 3.6 NM and an altitude difference of 100 feet. The pilot of Black 7 then descended steeply and turned south, informing the GCI that a B747 was in military airspace. The GCI replied that the B747 was at FL380 and reminded him that he was not allowed above FL280.
Aircraft and Crews
- EZY5262: Airbus A319, G-EZEC, operated by EasyJet. Crew: commander and first officer.
- Black 7: Boeing (MDD) F/A-18, Swiss Air Force. Crew: commander.
Airspace
The Davos, Beverin, and Engadin training areas (TSAs) have an upper limit of FL280 and are in class C airspace. Above them is the High East training area (FL300 to FL660). The ATS route UL613 has a lower limit of FL300 in the area. The GCI had allocated "Davos, Beverin, Engadin and above" to the formation, but after the cancellation of the test flight, the altitude limit should have reverted to FL280 for the training areas.
Analysis
The investigation noted that the original airspace assignment included "above," but after the test flight cancellation, the altitude limit for the areas was FL280. The GCI did not inform the pilot of Black 7 of this altitude limit when instructing him to remain within the training areas. The pilot did not realize the limitation. The GCI's coach stated that Black 7 was below FL280 at the time of the instruction. If the GCI had informed the pilot of the altitude limit and that civil aircraft were entering the upper airspace, the incident likely would not have occurred.