NMAC BTWN A MIL FGT AND AN ACR LGT.

1992-01 · NASA ASRS report 199500

Date: 1992-01 · Aircraft: Fighter

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

NMAC BTWN A MIL FGT AND AN ACR LGT.

Narrative

*RPTR WAS THE PLT OF AN MIL FGT/BMB ON AN IFR FLT FROM ANDREWS BACK TO BRADLEY FIELD. IFR FILED AND AFTER TKOF MANY DELAY AND ORBITS GIVEN BY DCA DEP CTLR. APPEARS THAT FULL RTE CLRNC NOT AVAILABLE SO DELAY VECTORS AND ORBITS GIVEN WITH ALTS FROM 3000-9000 FT. AFTER 1 ATTEMPT TO CANCEL IFR WAS REFUSED BY CTLR DUE TFC PROX; RPTR DID; IN AN APPARENT MOVE TO HASTEN HIS FLT; CANCEL AFTER RECEIVING A TA AND NOTING ACFT INSIGHT. HE THEN INSTITUTED A VFR CLB AND PROCEEDED TO DEST. AT THE HOME FIELD HE WAS TOLD THAT HE HAD COME CLOSE ENOUGH TO AN ACR LGT THAT THE CAPT HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. ONCE AIRBORNE; CONTRIBUTING FACTORS BECAME THOSE OF: COMMUNICATING DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION; LACK OF COM BY THE CTLR TO THE PLT IN EXPLAINING REASONS FOR THE DELAY; CTLR FAILURE TO GIVE SPECIFIC HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AND AN EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC TIME; AND LACK OF TA'S. PLT PERCEIVED CTLR TO BE TOTALLY OVERLOADED WITH HIS IFR TFC AND MADE A JUDGEMENT THAT BY CANCELLING IFR AND PROCEEDING VFR HE WOULD LESSEN CTLRS BURDEN BY REDUCING IFR TFC SEPARATION REQUIREMENTS WHICH THE CTLR WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH; THEREBY ALLOWING THE CTLR TO ISSUE MORE ADVISORIES AS TO OTHER TFC. OTHER HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS INCLUDE PLT TASK SATURATION AND PRIORITIZATION. THESE SPECIFICALLY INVOLVE MAINTAINING ACFT CTL AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WHILE DOING IN PLACE 360'S AT THE SAME TIME YOU ARE COPYING AND DECIPHERING AN UNEXPECTED RTE CLRNC WHICH INVOLVED NUMEROUS NAVAIDS AND INTXNS; DECIDING ON FLYING THIS IFR CLRNC IN A HIGH DENSITY TFC AREA IN VMC REQUIRING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE PLT'S ATTN BE DIRECTED INSIDE THE COCKPIT OR CANCELLING IFR AND PROCEEDING VFR IN VMC WITH TA'S IN CTLED AIRSPACE AND CONCENTRATING ON LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR OTHER TFC. SYS FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE EVENT INCLUDE THE DIVISION IN CTL OF THE AIRSPACE ABOVE 10000 MSL FROM THAT BELOW 10000 MSL BTWN 2 DIFFERENT CTLRS. WITH NUMEROUS ACFT AT OR AROUND THIS 10000 MSL ALT BEING CTLED BY 2 AGENCIES OR SECTORS AND THE ACFT ON DIFFERENT FREQS IT NOT ONLY COMPLICATES THE CTLR'S JOB OF COORDINATING HDOFS; RTING AND MAINTAINING TFC SEPARATION BUT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PLT WHO IS ON ONLY 1 FREQ TO USE THE RADIO TO MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WITH REGARD TO OTHER ACFT AROUND HIM UNLESS THE CTLR GIVES THE PLT TA'S ON ALL OTHER ACFT THAT ARE A FACTOR; WHETHER UNDER THAT CTLR'S CTL OR NOT. A PHYSICAL/DESIGN FACTOR COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED IN THAT AN ACFT APCHING AN FGT FROM THE FGT'S 10-11 O'CLOCK POS AT THE SAME OR SLIGHTLY HIGHER ALT; WHILE THE FGT'S PLT IS VISUALLY CLRING RPTED TFC AT HIS 2 O'CLOCK POS; WOULD BE HIDDEN IN A BLIND SPOT CAUSED BY THE FGT'S CANOPY BOW.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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