MULTIPLE RWY OP PARALLEL RWYS. ACR X UNHAPPY WITH VISUAL SIDEBY APCHS.
Synopsis
MULTIPLE RWY OP PARALLEL RWYS. ACR X UNHAPPY WITH VISUAL SIDEBY APCHS.
Narrative
ATIS; WHICH WAS 1 HR OLD; RPTED 1300 FT BROKEN; 3100 FT BROKEN; WITH GOOD VISIBILITY UNDERNEATH. AFTER PASSING OVER SFO VOR; ACR X WAS GIVEN A HDG OF 100 DEGS AND AN ALT OF 6000 FT. BAY APCH SAID 'RADAR VECTORS FOR A VISUAL APCH' TO A PREVIOUS FLT. I HEARD ACR Y BEING VECTORED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 28L. WE WERE GIVEN A TURN TO 180 DEGS AND A DSCNT TO 4000 FT AND 'YOU HAVE TFC AT YOUR 12 O'CLOCK.' I SAID; 'WE ARE IN THE CLOUDS.' BAY THEN SAID 'COME TO 230 DEGS; DSND TO 1600 FT; RPT THE FIELD.' AT ABOUT 3700 FT; WE BROKE OUT AND I SAW THE FIELD. I SAID; 'I HAVE THE FIELD.' BAY REPLIED; 'CLRED VISUAL RWY 28R; YOU HAVE TFC AT 10 O'CLOCK; CONTACT TWR.' I SAID; 'I DON'T HAVE THE TFC.' BAY REPLIED; 'THAT'S OK; HE HAS YOU IN SIGHT AND THE TWR WILL PROVIDE VISUAL SEPARATION.' I THEN SAW ACR Y 737 SLIGHTLY AHEAD AND BELOW. WE WERE WINGTIP-TO-WINGTIP FROM 2 MI OUT TO TOUCHDOWN. TWR MADE NO MENTION OF TFC. SOME AREAS OF CONCERN: 1) APCH VECTORING FOR A VISUAL APCH IN MARGINAL WX; KEEPING YOU HIGH; AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO TRANSITION TO THE ILS IF YOU DON'T BREAK OUT. 2) I NEVER HEARD RPT TFC IN SIGHT NOR BEING TOLD TO 'MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION.' 3) APCH GAVE A HDG AND A DSCNT TOWARD PARALLEL TFC AFTER I STATED THAT WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS. 4) AFTER I BROKE OUT AND SAID THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE TFC; THE STATEMENT THAT; 'HE WILL MAINTAIN VISUAL ON YOU;' (WE HAD JUST BROKEN OUT; WERE ABOVE AND BEHIND HIM; AND I NEVER HEARD HIM ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR VISUAL SEPARATION.) 5) I QUESTION THE STATEMENT THAT 'TWR WILL PROVIDE VISUAL SEPARATION.' WE HAD SIMILAR APCH SPDS; AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT TWR'S EQUIP OR WORKLOAD WOULD ALLOW THIS. THE SOMETIMES-USED PROC OF HAVING 1 ACFT DO AN S-TURN TO INCREASE STAGGER IS DANGEROUS AND UNACCEPTABLE WHERE THERE IS ONLY 750 FT BTWN RWY CTRLINES. THE 'FORCING' OF PARALLEL VISUAL APCHS IN MARGINAL WX WITH QUESTIONABLE PROCS IS UNSAFE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.