E120 ON VECTOR BY DEP CTL WAS GIVEN VFR TA AND AN INTERMEDIATE ALT ASSIGNMENT. E120 FLC SPOTTED A CESSNA AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE TFC. A SECOND VFR BE90 WAS ALSO IN THE AREA AND THE E120 TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO MISS IT.
Synopsis
E120 ON VECTOR BY DEP CTL WAS GIVEN VFR TA AND AN INTERMEDIATE ALT ASSIGNMENT. E120 FLC SPOTTED A CESSNA AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE TFC. A SECOND VFR BE90 WAS ALSO IN THE AREA AND THE E120 TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO MISS IT.
Narrative
DEPARTED DHN ON IFR TO ATL. INITIAL CLRNC WAS TO 5000 FT DIRECT CSG. WHEN PASSING 3100 FT; CTLR ISSUED 3000 FT AS AN INTERMEDIATE ALT. AFTER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT; WE WERE GIVEN HDG 360 DEGS; VECTOR FOR CLB. CTLR ISSUED VFR TFC AT 11 O'CLOCK. WE IMMEDIATELY SPOTTED A SMALL CESSNA AT 12 O'CLOCK TURNING EBOUND. WE RPTED VISUAL ON TFC AND WERE CLRED TO 10000 FT. FO AND I WERE WATCHING CESSNA IN TURN TO MAKE SURE HE DID NOT TURN BACK INTO OUR FLT PATH; AS HE WAS ALSO AT 3000 FT. KING AIR WAS AT 3000 FT MOVING L TO R; CESSNA HAD MOVED TO OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS AND HE WAS NO LONGER A CONFLICT. KING AIR WAS SPOTTED FIRST BY FO AT 11:30 O'CLOCK AND 1/4 MI. HE IMMEDIATELY PUSHED OVER TO GO UNDER KING AIR. THIS ONE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT I CRINGED WHEN WE WENT UNDER. I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO CLR HIM OR NOT. KING AIR WAS ON FREQ; BUT NOT PARTICIPATING IN RADAR SVC. CTLR SAID HE ONLY HAD ONE TARGET; SO WE SUSPECT THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE CESSNA BECAUSE PRIMARY TARGETS WERE MASKED. KING AIR APPARENTLY NEVER SAW US; AS IT DID NOT APPEAR HE TOOK ANY ACTION WHATSOEVER. CTLR VECTORED US THROUGH TRAINING AREA AT THE MOST COMMONLY USED ALT. THERE IS A LARGE SCHOOL THERE; AND ALL THE MIL PRIMARY FLT TRAINING IS VERY CLOSE BY. IT SEEMS THAT THE CTLR WOULD HAVE MADE A LITTLE MORE EFFORT TO KEEP US AWAY FROM A CONVERGING TARGET AT OUR ALT. HAD MY FO NOT SEEN HIM AT THE LAST MIN; WE WOULD HAVE HIT HIM. I KNOW IT'S A PAIN FOR A CTLR TO HAVE TO LOOK AT A SCOPE WITH ALL THE PRIMARY TARGETS DISPLAYED; BUT DOING SO COULD HAVE SAVED OUR LIVES HAD WE NOT SEEN THE KING AIR. THERE IS TOO MUCH TRAINING ACTIVITY IN CAIRNS AIRSPACE TO MASK NON-XPONDER ACFT. HAD HE SEEN BOTH TARGETS; THIS QUITE POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.