CONGESTED ATC FREQ AND QUESTIONABLE COORD BTWN CTLR AND JUMP PLT LED TO SKYDIVERS JUMPING THROUGH AN ACR B727 ALT.

1996-09 · NASA ASRS report 347696

Date: 1996-09 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

CONGESTED ATC FREQ AND QUESTIONABLE COORD BTWN CTLR AND JUMP PLT LED TO SKYDIVERS JUMPING THROUGH AN ACR B727 ALT.

Narrative

THE PROB AROSE DUE TO SATURATION OF AIRSPACE DURING THE EVENING PUSH INTO MAJOR HUB. INEXPERIENCED CTLR/TRAINEE AT ATC. DURING CLBOUT IT WAS EVIDENT ATC WAS VERY BUSY; CALLS COMING IN CONTINUOUSLY AND CALLS BEING STEPPED ON. ON FIRST CALL UP A 6500 FT MSL WAS TOLD TO IDENT. AT 9500 FT MSL ATC XMITTED RADAR CONTACT 9500 FT ADVISE OF ANY ALT CHANGES. I IMMEDIATELY XMITTED CLBING TO 13500 FT. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE AND RADAR CALLS WERE AT SATURATION POINT. AROUND 11000 FT A CTLR I HAVE RECOGNIZED AS THE SUPVR AND IN ALL MY FLYING TIME THE BEST AND MOST PROFESSIONAL CTLR I HAVE HEARD; TOOK OVER AT ATC. TFC WAS AUDIBLY PUT BACK ON TRACK. (NOTE FIRST CTLR DID NOT UNDERSTAND WE WERE JUMP ACFT.) AT 12500 FT ATC SAID RADAR CONTACT RPT 1 MIN TO JUMPERS AWAY; MY RESPONSE WAS 2 MINS TO JUMP AT THIS TIME. HER RESPONSE ROGER DURING JUMP RUN WHILE THE 15 JUMPERS WERE EXITING. I OVERHEARD AN ACR CALL THAT THEY HAVE BIG BIRDS DOWN HERE REALLY BIG BIRDS. ATC THEN XMITTED; SUSPEND JUMPING ACFT DIRECTLY BELOW 9000 FT. DURING THAT XMISSION THE LAST JUMPERS EXITED THE ACFT. I XMITTED JUMPERS AWAY DSNDING. ATC XMITTED; 'OH WELL.' I TURNED L AND VIEWED AN ACR B727 CRUISING BELOW AT 9000 FT. ONE JUMPER INTERVIEWED ON THE GND SAID HE PASSED LESS THAN 2000 FT VERTLY FROM THE B727. ONE OTHER JUMPER REMEMBERS SEEING A JET. WHAT I THINK SHOULD BE DONE TO PREVENT THIS AGAIN; A COLOR SYMBOL ON IFR CHARTS AT PERMANENT DROP ZONES AND A LARGER SYMBOL ON VFR CHARTS. I NEED TO SAY AGAIN I HAVE FLOWN THIS AREA 4 YRS AND THE CTLR ON DUTY WAS ALWAYS OF THE BEST. I HATE TO THINK OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST ONE OF THE MOST PROFESSIONAL CTLRS OUT THERE. IT WAS UNFORTUNATE A TRAINEE; MYSELF; AND THE AIRLINES ALL PUSHING INTO HUB AT SAME TIME. ONE OF THE PROBS IS TOO MANY ACFT AIRLINES PUSHING TO HUB AT THE SAME TIME. I HAVE TO ADD THAT AS I TURNED HARD L TO SEE THE TFC AND SAW AN INTACT B727 FLYING OFF; I WAS EXTREMELY RELIEVED BECAUSE NO MATTER WHOSE FAULT; IF A JUMPER AND ACR MIDAIR HAD OCCURRED WITH THE POLITICS IN PLACE NOW SKYDIVING WOULD HAVE BECOME THE SCAPEGOAT AND WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN ERADICATED BY THE POLITICAL POWERS AND MEDIA. ALSO EVERYONE; EVEN ACR'S NEED TO NOT GLOSS OVER A PERMANENT NOTAM OF SKYDIVING OPS WHERE THEY FLY INTO. I ALSO SEE MY OWN FAILING IN NOT GETTING AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM ATC WHEN RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED INITIALLY; BUT LIKE I SAID; FREQ CONGESTION DID NOT ALLOW THAT. NORMALLY THE XMISSIONS GO SMOOTHLY AND PURPOSELY. DURING THIS INCIDENT ALL NORMAL RADIO CALLS WENT OUT THE WINDOW AND THE SYS SUFFERED. I HOPE I GET TO READ THE RPTS OF THE OTHER TWO SIDES SOME DAY.

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

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