AN ACR A320 DEPARTING LAX HAD LTSS WITH A ATX LR35 DEPARTING SMO. TCASII COMMANDED THE A320 TO DSND UNNECESSARILY. THERE WAS VISUAL SEPARATION.

1996-06 · NASA ASRS report 339997

Date: 1996-06 · Aircraft: A320 · Phase: initial_climb

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN ACR A320 DEPARTING LAX HAD LTSS WITH A ATX LR35 DEPARTING SMO. TCASII COMMANDED THE A320 TO DSND UNNECESSARILY. THERE WAS VISUAL SEPARATION.

Narrative

DURING CLB; AFTER TKOF; LEVELING AT 3000 FT; WE WERE TOLD OF TFC THAT HAD DEPARTED SMO ON HDG OF 270 DEGS AND WOULD MAINTAIN VISUAL. THE TFC WAS CLBING AND ACCELERATING RAPIDLY TO OUR ALT; OBVIOUSLY ON AN INTERCEPT COURSE. WITH THE TCASII GIVING US A RA TO DSND; WE QUICKLY BEGAN DSCNT WITH AN ATC VECTOR TO 180 DEGS (WE HAD BEEN ON 250 DEGS). TFC PASSED OVERHEAD WITHIN 200 FT AND 1/4 MI. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 340513: L SMO IFR FLT PLAN. ORIGINAL CLRNC HAD US RWY HDG UNTIL XING LAX 305 DEGS; THEN R TURN TO 250 DEGS; INITIAL ALT 3000 FT. ON FIRST CALL TO DEP CTL WE ARE TOLD TO MAINTAIN PRESENT HDG AND CLB TO 3000 FT. AIRLINER OFF LAX TURNS TOWARD US STAYING AT OUR 7 O'CLOCK. WE ARE TOLD THAT AIRLINER HAD AN RA AND WOULD BE PASSING BELOW AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND. WE CONTINUED OUR DEP UNEVENTFULLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 339570: WE WERE USING VISUAL SEPARATION WITH LR35 CLBING BELOW ACR X. ACR X GOT AN RA AND; INSTEAD OF CONTINUING HIS CLB WHICH WOULD HAVE ENDED UP WITH WELL OVER A 1000 FT OF SEPARATION; ACR X DSNDED. NOW LR35 IS ABOVE ACR X AND LR35 WAS TOLD TO STAY BELOW ACR X. THE ENSUING CONFUSION JUST ADDED TO THE DANGER OF THE SIT. IF THE PLT OF ACR X WAS ALLOWED TO FOLLOW HIS JUDGEMENT AND CONTINUE HIS CLB AS OPPOSED TO FOLLOWING THE SOFTWARE AND DSND; THE WHOLE SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVERTED. IF WE CAN BE ALLOWED TO D OUR JOBS WITHOUT BEING SECOND-GUESSED BY A COMPUTER; THEN WE COULD OPERATE EVEN SAFER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 339562: IF ACR X HAD KEPT CLBING INSTEAD OF DSNDING; NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. BUT NOW THE LR35 IS LEVEL AT 3000 FT AND ACR X IS UNDERNEATH AND WONDERING WHAT TO DO. IN RETROSPECT; THE LR35 SHOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED AT 2000 FT (NON STANDARD) OR LEFT TO DIVERGE.

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

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