LESS THAN DESIRED SEPARATION BTWN A VFR PARACHUTE JUMPING ACFT AND AN IFR ACR.

1994-07 · NASA ASRS report 278375

Date: 1994-07 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|other-unspecified

Synopsis

LESS THAN DESIRED SEPARATION BTWN A VFR PARACHUTE JUMPING ACFT AND AN IFR ACR.

Narrative

I WAS IN A C-182 FLYING SKYDIVERS. I CALLED ZFW AND NOTIFIED THEM THAT THE JUMPERS WOULD BE EXITING THE ACFT IN 1 MIN (I HAD BEEN IN RADAR CONTACT WITH ZFW FOR 10 MINS WITH AN ASSIGNED SQUAWK CODE). I OPENED THE DOOR FOR THE SKYDIVERS TO DIRECT THE ACFT AS PRECISELY OVER THE DROP ZONE. AT THAT TIME; I HEARD MY GND PERSON CALLING ME ON ANOTHER RADIO. I RESPONDED; AND HE TOLD ME THAT I HAD A LARGE JET CONVERGING OFF MY R WING. AT FIRST GLANCE I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING; THEN I LIFTED MY WING UP AND SAW A LARGE JET CARRIER LESS THAN A MI AWAY ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH ME. I WAS HEADING ABOUT 250 DEGS AND HE WAS SBOUND. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A STEEP TURN 180 DEGS AROUND. AT THAT TIME I HEARD ATC GIVING THE JET CARRIER A WARNING OF MY POS AND THEN WARNING ME OF THE JET'S POS. I RESPONDED BY TELLING HIM I HAD ALREADY STARTED A TURN TO AVOID THE TFC. THE JET HAD BEGUN A CLB TO AVOID COLLISION. AFTER THE JET HAD PASSED; I TURNED BACK TO A 270 DEG COURSE TO LET THE SKYDIVERS OUT WHEN I SPOTTED ANOTHER JET CARRIER 2-3 MI AWAY AT MY 4-5 O'CLOCK POS. AS I SPOTTED IT; IT BEGAN A SHARP TURN TO THE S TO AVOID ME; AFTER WHICH THE CTLR WARNED THE SECOND JET CARRIER OF MY POS. THE PLT REPLIED THAT HE HAD ALREADY TURNED TO AVOID. THE DROP ZONE THAT I FLY OUT OF IS 10 NM N OF THE BUJ VOR; NE OF DFW; BUT WELL OUTSIDE OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE BUJ VOR IS PART OF AN ARR INTO DFW. OUR ARPT IS SEVERAL MI FROM THESE ARR RTES INTO DFW; HOWEVER I HEARD THE CTLR CLR 1 ACR TO CROSS 10 MI N OF THE BLUE RIDGE VOR; AND I GUESS THAT THE 2 OTHER CARRIERS MENTIONED ABOVE WERE CLRED TO DO THE SAME. USUALLY ATC KEEPS THE JET CARRIERS WELL CLR OF OUR DROP ZONE; BUT THIS CTLR WAS SENDING THEM RIGHT OVER IT WHILE SKYDIVING ACTIVITY WAS GOING ON. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS CTLR'S VOICE -- MAYBE HE WAS NEW OR JUST NEW TO THIS SECTOR. 2) THE CTLR WAS GONE WHEN I CAME BACK UP FOR THE NEXT FLT 1/2 HR LATER --IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF HIS SHIFT. 3) MY VIEW WAS OBSTRUCTED BY THE HIGH WING. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) I WILL LOOK FOR TFC RELIGIOUSLY! 2) THREE ARE MANY OTHER CROSS-OVER POINTS AVAILABLE OTHER THAN OUR DROP ZONE OR JUST AVOID THE DROP ZONE WHEN SKYDIVING ACTIVITY IS GOING ON. 30 THE CTLR SEEMED TO BE A FEW STEPS BEHIND THE ACTION; I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CORRECT THAT; BUT ASK A PROFESSIONAL CTLR...HE'LL KNOW...SLEEP?

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

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