1992-10 · NASA ASRS report 222813
SPILLOUT CREATES A POTENTIAL CONFLICT LTSS.
AT APPROX AM25 ON OCT/FRI/92; 'FLT' 1 A MIL FGT X FROM AIR BASE FINISHED ITS LAST AIR-TO-AIR ENGAGEMENT AGAINST 2 MIL FGT Y'S FROM OTHER AIR BASE. THE ENGAGEMENTS WERE INSIDE THE R-2306/2308 WHICH IS CTLED BY YUMA. DURING THE LAST ENGAGEMENT; 'FLT' 1 DECLARED 'BINGO' FUEL AND IMMEDIATELY KNOCKED OFF THE AIR-TO-AIR FIGHT AND HEADED TOWARD THE WESTERN CAP OF THE WORKING AREA. WHILE CLBING; 'FLT' 1 SWITCHED FREQS TO YUMA CTL TO ASK FOR IFR CLRNC OUT OF THE AREA TO HOME BASE; EL TORO. UPON SWITCHING UP YUMA CTL; 'FLT' 1 REALIZED THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACFT TALKING ON THAT FREQ. WITH A BREAK IN THE COM; FLT 1 REQUESTED CLRNC OUT OF THE R-2306/08 TO RETURN TO BASE EL TORO. THE NORMAL STEREO RTE TO RETURN FROM THE AREA TO EL TORO USES FL180. BECAUSE OF THE DELAY; DUE TO THE NUMEROUS ACFT ALL CALLING YUMA CTL AT THE SAME TIME; FLT 1 REQUESTED FL350 IN ORDER TO CONSERVE FUEL WHILE CLBING UP AND BEGINNING TO ORBIT AROUND THE WESTERN CAP. FLT 1 WAS NOW ALMOST 1000 POUNDS BELOW 'BINGO' WITH STILL NO CLRNC TO EL TORO. TO COMPLICATE MATTERS; FLT 1'S WINGMAN; 'FLT' 2; AND THE 2 MIL FGTS Y HAD FINISHED THEIR LAST ENGAGEMENT AND WERE ALSO TALKING TO YUMA CTL FOR CLRNC. IN ADDITION; THE Y'S CALL SIGNS WERE 'FLT 3' AND 'FLT 4' MAKING A TOTAL OF 4 ACFT ALL WITH 'FLT' CALL SIGN. WHILE QUICKLY SPIRALING UP TO ALT TO CONSERVE ENOUGH FUEL TO SAFELY MAKE IT BACK TO EL TORO WITH THE REQUIRED LIMIT; AND ANTICIPATING FL350 FOR THE RETURN FLT LEVEL; THE PLT AND SO REALIZED; PASSING FL340; THAT THE TOP OF THE ALT BLOCK IN THE AREA WAS FL310. UPON QUICKLY DSNDING; THE PLT IDENTED A WDB CIVILIAN ACFT FLYING AWAY FROM THEM AT GREATER THAN 1 MI IN RANGE. SEVERAL MINS LATER; AT ABOUT AM30; FLT 1 WAS FINALLY GIVEN CLRNC BACK TO EL TORO AT FL310. FLT 1; EXPERIENCING SUCH A LONG DELAY IN RECEIVING CLRNC; WAS WELL BELOW THE FUEL REQUIRED TO BE ON DECK AS EL TORO; THUS; FLT 1 WAS FORCED TO BINGO DIVERT INTO EL CENTRO FOR FUEL. IN REGARDS TO THE ALTDEV; FLT 1 QUICKLY REALIZED THEY HAD UNINTENTIONALLY BROKE THE ALT CAP WHILE STILL IN THE AREA AND QUICKLY CORRECTED THE DEV. THE WDB RPTED SEEING THE FLT 1 WITHIN 800 FT. ALTHOUGH THE PLT HAS ONLY 170 HRS IN TYPE AND HAS ACTUALLY FLOWN IN THE R- 2306/08 APPROX 10 TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR; HE IS QUITE SURE THE WDB PASSED WELL CLR OF THEM DUE TO THE VISUAL AND RADAR SCAN UTILIZED AT THE TIME. APPARENTLY; THE COMBINATION OF MULTIPLE ACFT WITH THE SAME CALL SIGNS ALL TALKING TO YUMA CTL FOR CLRNC AT THE SAME TIME; THE CONFUSION CREATED BY YUMA CTL ATTEMPTING TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEM; IN ADDITION TO THE EXTREMELY LOW FUEL STATE OF FLT 1; AND THE PLT CONCERNED WITH NOT PUTTING HIS CREW OR ACFT IN AN EMER FUEL STATUS; FLT 1 UNINTENTIONALLY DEVIATED THROUGH THE ALT BLOCK IN THE WORKING AREA WHICH THEY QUICKLY CORRECTED. THE ABOVE INFO IS PRESENTED BY THE PLT OF FLT 1 TO THE BEST OF HIS KNOWLEDGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 227829: YUMA RANGE CTL WAS EXTREMELY BUSY WITH FLTS CHKING IN AND OUT OF ALL THEIR RANGES AT THE TIME; TO THE POINT OF BEING OBE. OBVIOUSLY; THERE WERE MANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE CREW'S DEV. NOT ONLY THE CONCERN FOR FLT 1'S FUEL STATE; BUT ALSO THE EXTREMELY BUSY YUMA RANGE CTLR. A CONCERN HAS ARISEN FROM THIS SITUATION; NAMELY VECTORING CIVILIAN ACRS OVER THE TOP OF AN ACTIVE TRAINING AREA. AS THE MISSION COMMANDER AND SENIOR CREWMAN OF FLT 1; I TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEV. ANY AND ALL ACTIONS AGAINST THE FLT 1 CREW SHOULD BE DIRECTED SOLELY TO ME.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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