THIRD PARTY CARGO B767 FLC RPT SIT OF APPARENT LTSS BTWN 2 B747'S AT THE SAME ALT AND LESS THAN 5 MI APART. CTLR CLAIMS SEPARATION OF 5 MI. FLC OVERHEARD CONVERSATION BTWN CTLR AND FLC OF THE B747'S.
Synopsis
THIRD PARTY CARGO B767 FLC RPT SIT OF APPARENT LTSS BTWN 2 B747'S AT THE SAME ALT AND LESS THAN 5 MI APART. CTLR CLAIMS SEPARATION OF 5 MI. FLC OVERHEARD CONVERSATION BTWN CTLR AND FLC OF THE B747'S.
Narrative
I WAS A CREW MEMBER ON A B767; OPERATING ANCHORAGE-TOKYO. AT APPROX XX30Z; ABOUT THE TIME WE WERE APCHING COAST OUT NEAR BETHEL; WE OVERHEARD A CONVERSATION THAT TOOK PLACE BTWN ACR Y; A B747; AND ZAN. THE CALL WAS INITIATED BY ACR Y; WHO INFORMED CTR THAT THEY HAD JUST BEEN PASSED BY A B747 AT NEARLY THE SAME ALT AS THEY; IN WHAT WAS A NEAR MISS SIT. THERE WAS A SHORT PAUSE BEFORE ZAN RESPONDED THAT; IN FACT; THERE WAS ANOTHER B747 IN THEIR VICINITY; BUT THAT ITS DISTANCE WAS GREATER THAN 5 MI AND ALT SEPARATION WAS GREATER THAN 2000 FT. AS ZAN UNKEYED HIS MIKE; ACR Z RPTED LEVEL AT FL330 (THE SAME ALT AS ACR Y). ACR Y RESPONDED THAT THEIR TCASII INDICATED A DISTANCE OF LESS THAN 3 MI AND 500 FT SEPARATION; AND THAT BEFORE EVASIVE ACTION COULD BE TAKEN; THE THREAT HAD MATERIALIZED VISUALLY AND WAS NOW PASSED. ZAN CONTINUED TO INSIST THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED SEPARATION WAS THERE; AND THAT NEITHER ACFT WAS EVER IN DANGER. SEVERAL TIMES; ZAN INDICATED THAT THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING RADIO XMISSIONS FROM ACR Z; ALTHOUGH DID NOT MENTION ANY VHF DIFFICULTIES FROM ANY OTHER ACFT; INCLUDING THE ACR Z. 15 MINS LATER; AS ACR Y WAS GIVEN A NEW FREQ; THE PLTS ACKNOWLEDGED THE HDOF AND INDICATED TO ZAN THAT THEY WOULD NOT FILE ANY TYPE OF RPT OR ACTION; OTHER THAN A COMPANY SAFETY RPT. THE CTLR THANKED THEM FOR UNDERSTANDING; AND WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE WAS SORRY; AND THAT HE WAS VERY BUSY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. WHILE OUR ACFT WAS NOT ACTUALLY A PARTICIPANT IN THE INCIDENT; WE HAPPENED TO BE IN A POS OF WITNESS. I AM CONCERNED THAT YOU WILL HEAR OF THIS INCIDENT ONLY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE CTLR; AS IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT NEITHER ACR Y NOR ACR Z PARTICIPATE IN THE SAFETY PROGRAM. PROBABLY ONLY 10 MINS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT; WE COMMENTED TO EACH OTHER (INSIDE THE COCKPIT) THAT THE CTLR SEEMED TO BE TERRIBLY BUSY; WORKING NOT ONLY A LARGE NUMBER OF HIGH ALT ACFT ENTERING AND EXITING THE NORTH PACIFIC TRACKS; BUT AT THE SAME TIME; HE WAS ALSO THE FINAL CTLR FOR 2 LIGHT ACFT THAT WERE SHOOTING SIMULTANEOUS APCHS AT 2 DIFFERENT ARPTS ON THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA. IT ALSO APPEARED THAT HE WAS WORKING MULTIPLE FREQS; AS WE COULD NOT ALWAYS HEAR ACFT RESPOND.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.