ACR LGT EXPERIENCES A TCASII RA AND IS INVOLVED WITH 2 OTHER ACFT AT SEPARATE VFR ALTS IN AN NMAC AND POTENTIAL CONFLICT. BOTH OTH ACFT WERE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC.
Synopsis
ACR LGT EXPERIENCES A TCASII RA AND IS INVOLVED WITH 2 OTHER ACFT AT SEPARATE VFR ALTS IN AN NMAC AND POTENTIAL CONFLICT. BOTH OTH ACFT WERE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC.
Narrative
DEPARTING FROM COS FOR PUB WE WERE GIVEN A CLRNC TO 9000 FT AND DIRECT TO PUB. AT ABOUT THE MIDWAY POINT WITH THE ACFT ON AUTOPLT AT 9000 FT AND 250 KTS; 2 TARGETS APPEARED AT 12 O'CLOCK AS BLUE TRIANGLES 500 FT ABOVE AND 500 FT BELOW US. AS THE ACFT BECAME AMBER CIRCLES WE STARTED TO GET THE 'TFC; TFC' ALERT. AT ABOUT 2 MI THE LOWER ACFT STARTED A CLB TOWARD OUR ALT AS WITNESSED ON THE TCASII FROM 500 FT TO 400 FT; 300 FT AND AT 200 FT; WITH THE TCASII NOW GIVING US AN 'RA' AND THE AUDIBLE 'CLB; CLB; CLB.' WITH ANOTHER ACFT AT 1215 AND 500 FT ABOVE US (SHOWED ALMOST DIRECTLY ABOVE US) I DECIDED TO CLB AWAY FROM THE CLBING INTRUDER AND BANKED TO THE L 30 DEGS TO AVOID THE ACFT ABOVE US. AS WE PASSED 9500 FT THE TCASII ALERT CHANGED TO 'CLB; XING; CLB' AS WE WENT THROUGH THE SECOND ACFT'S ALT AND FINALLY STOPPED AT 10000 FT. WE TOLD COS DEP OF OUR NEW POS AND WERE CHANGED OVER TO PUB APCH. HE INDICATED WE ALMOST CLBED INTO THE UPPER ACFT BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM THE LOCATION OR ALT DIVERSION OF THE LOWER ACFT. I SPOKE WITH THE TWR SUPVR IN PUEBLO AND ADVISED HIM OF OUR SITUATION AND ACTIONS AND HE SAID HE UNDERSTOOD COMPLETELY AND WAS FILING A RPT. ON RETURN TO COS I SPOKE TO THE DEP CTLR AND HE TOLD ME 'TCASII AND ACR WERE GOING TO GET SOMEBODY HURT SOMEDAY.' HE TOLD ME THAT THE 2 VFR ACFT WERE AT THEIR ASSIGNED ALTS. VFR ARE NOT ASSIGNED ALTS AND THEY WERE STILL IN PUB'S AIRSPACE. AT NO TIME WERE WE GIVEN TA'S ON THE 2 ACFT NOR DID WE VISUALLY SEE EITHER ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 202245: THROUGHOUT; COS DEP CTL WAS INVOLVED WITH OTHER TFC AND HAD ISSUED NO ADVISORIES WHATSOEVER TO US. IT WAS SEVERAL SECONDS BEFORE I COULD GET A BREAK IN THE RADIO TFC TO ADVISE THEM OF OUR SITUATION AND THAT WE HAD LEFT 9000 FT. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED AND SWITCHED US TO PUB APCH CTL WHO ADVISED THAT THEY HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE 2 VFR TARGETS AND THAT WE HAD NEARLY CLBED INTO TARGET #2. PUB COULD NOT VERIFY WHETHER TARGET #1 HAD LEFT ITS ORIGINAL 8500 FT ALT OR ITS EXACT POS. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND CAUSED ALL INVOLVED SOME ANXIETY. BETTER COORD BTWN PUB AND COS AND/OR A RTING FOR ACRS AWAY FROM THE DIRECT PUB-COS LINE DURING VFR WX MAY HELP AVOID A DISASTER.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.