FLC OF A B727 INCREASED THEIR SPD IN DEP CLB IN ORDER TO ASSURE VISUAL SEPARATION WITH A KC135 DSNDING.

Date: 1996-05 · Aircraft: B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: climb

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|other-unspecified

Synopsis

FLC OF A B727 INCREASED THEIR SPD IN DEP CLB IN ORDER TO ASSURE VISUAL SEPARATION WITH A KC135 DSNDING.

Narrative

ON DEP FROM MCI CLBING; A KC135 TANKER INBOUND AND DSNDING TO MCI WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM US AFTER HE RPTED US IN SIGHT. THE TFC WAS NOT POINTED OUT TO US; HOWEVER; WE DID HAVE THE KC135 IN SIGHT. WE WERE NBOUND AND THE KC135 WAS SWBOUND SO HE WAS ON MY SIDE. I CLOSELY MONITORED THE CLOSING DISTANCE OF THE KC135 WHO DID NOT SEEM TO MAKE ANY DEVS TO MAINTAIN HIS VISUAL SEPARATION. OUR FLT PATHS WERE APPEARING TO CONFLICT SO I CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE OUR ACFT TO 350 KTS TO PASS AHEAD OF THE DSNDING KC135; IN CASE OUR ALT ALSO CONVERGED. WE DID NOT KNOW THE ALT OF THE KC135 NOR THE ALT HE WAS DSNDING TO. SOON WE REALIZED THE KC135 HAD BEEN CLRED THROUGH OUR ALT;AS WE WERE CLBING TO 15000 FT. AT AROUND 11000 FT; THE KC135 PASSED BY CLOSE TO OUR REAR. ADDED TO THE DYNAMICS OF THIS SIT WAS THE DIFFICULTY IN DETERMINING PROPER PERSPECTIVE OF THE KC135 WITH REF ONLY OF ITS LNDG LIGHTS. THIS IS ANOTHER PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHERE TCASII COULD HAVE HELPED US DETERMINE THE DIRECTION; DISTANCE; ALT AND CLOSURE BTWN US AND THE KC135. TCASII NEEDS TO BE REQUIRED IN ALL CARGO AS WELL AS MIL ACFT. IS THE FAA GOING TO WAIT AGAIN UNTIL LIVES ARE LOST WHEN A NON-TCASII CARGO ACFT COLLIDES WITH ANOTHER; PERHAPS PAX; ACFT BEFORE THEY REQUIRE TCASII IS ON THESE ACFT?

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