ACR COMPLAINT ON ATC HANDLING WITH REGARDS TO AIRSPACE ALLOCATION ON SFO QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL RWY 28 APCH.
Synopsis
ACR COMPLAINT ON ATC HANDLING WITH REGARDS TO AIRSPACE ALLOCATION ON SFO QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL RWY 28 APCH.
Narrative
FLYING A 240 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT SFO 095 DEG RADIAL FOR A QUIET BRIDGE RWY 28R LNDG AT SFO. AT 11000 FT APCH POINTED OUT TFC AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS; WHICH WE SAW. I DON'T REMEMBER THAT A COURSE WAS GIVEN. AFTER THAT WE WERE ASKED IF THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT. WE RPTED THE ARPT AND WAS CLRED TO 7000 FT FOR THE QUIET BRIDGE RWY 28R VISUAL APCH. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY INFO THAT OUR COURSE AND THE OTHER ACFT WOULD BE XING OR TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. WE HAD PREVIOUSLY PROGRAMMED THE APCH WITH XING ALTS IN THE FMC. WHILE DSNDING AND INTERCEPTING THE 095 DEG RADIAL; THE OTHER ACFT'S POS WAS OBSTRUCTED BY MY WINDOW SIDE FRAME. ABOUT 9500 FT THE COPLT COMMENTED THAT THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK. HE BROUGHT MY ATTN TO THE CONVERGING ACFT. THE TCASII THEN GAVE A CAUTION WARNING; FOLLOWED BY AN RA; WHICH I FOLLOWED. WE PASSED ABOVE AND BEHIND THE OTHER ACFT. THE AVOIDANCE MANEUVER WAS BASICALLY A NORMAL LEVELING FROM A NORMAL 1500 FPM DSCNT AT 250 KTS. THE OTHER ACFT DID NOT APPEAR TO MAKE ANY ATTEMPT TO CHANGE ALT OR HDG TO AVOID THE CONFLICT. WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE THE VISUAL APCH TO SFO TO INCREASE TFC FLOW AND TO REDUCE NOISE. TO MORE SAFELY DO THIS WE NEED MORE INFO ON XING VFR TFC. EVEN BETTER; THERE OUGHT TO BE A DEDICATED ARR AND DEP CORRIDOR FOR GREATER SAFETY. THE PROB OF VISUAL SEPARATION BTWN ACFT; ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT; AT VASTLY DIFFERENT SPDS; ADDED TO CHANGING ALTS; IS VERY DIFFICULT AND INACCURATE. TO REDUCE NOISE WE TRY TO MAINTAIN SPDS AND CONFIGN TO ALLOW US TO USE MINIMUM PWR TO SHORT FINAL. THE MAJOR CARRIERS HAVE HAD TO REDUCE SPDS BELOW 10000 FT FOR YRS IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE VFR SEPARATIONS SAFER. NOW IT IS TIME TO DEVELOP SOME ARR/DEP CORRIDORS TO KEEP VFR TFC FROM CAUSING THIS KIND OF CONFLICT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 307579: TFC WAS SPOTTED AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS; 8500 FT AND APPROX 10 MI. AFTER ACQUIRED TARGET WAS RPTED TO ATC; A CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO MAINTAIN 7000 FT. A DSCNT RATE WAS ESTABLISHED AT APPROX 1700 FPM. AROUND 9300 FT THE PNF NOTICED THAT CURRENT PATH WOULD TAKE THEM THROUGH THE OTHER ACFT'S PATH AND ALT; SO HE VERBALIZED HIS CONCERN. WHEN TFC WAS ISSUED BY ATC; AND TARGET ACQUIRED BY BOTH PLTS; I DID NOT KNOW WHAT ATC HAD PLANNED FOR US OR FOR THE TARGET ACFT. INSTRUCTIONS WERE NOT GIVEN TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH TFC. A COMMENT WAS MADE TO ATC BY THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT; AS TO OUR POS RELATIVE TO HIM; AT WHICH POINT ATC INSTRUCTED HIM THAT HE WAS OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE AND HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OWN TFC SEPARATION. AFTER COMPLYING WITH THE TCASII RA A CLRNC WAS GIVEN TO US FOR THE QUIET BRIDGE VISUAL APCH. THE REST OF THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHEN ATC ISSUES A CLRNC THAT WOULD CROSS A CONFLICTING ACFT PATH; WHETHER CTLED OR NOT (THIS CAN ONLY BE KNOWN FOR CERTAIN BY ATC); THE INSTRUCTION SHOULD INCLUDE MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH RELATED TFC. FROM MY STANDPOINT THERE WAS NO WAY TO TELL IF THIS ACFT WAS UNDER ATC CTL. WE ASSUMED HE WAS (ACFT WAS IN CLASS E AIRSPACE). THE ACFT WAS ONLY BEING GIVEN TA'S.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.