MD80 FLC ADVISED OF SKYDIVE ACTIVITY ON THE ARR RTE. THEY HAD THE JUMP ACFT IN SIGHT BUT AS THE JUMPERS DEPARTED THE ACFT THE PLT MADE A DSCNT AND TCASII ACTIVATED. FLC DSNDED IN RESPONSE AND NOTIFIED ATC.
Synopsis
MD80 FLC ADVISED OF SKYDIVE ACTIVITY ON THE ARR RTE. THEY HAD THE JUMP ACFT IN SIGHT BUT AS THE JUMPERS DEPARTED THE ACFT THE PLT MADE A DSCNT AND TCASII ACTIVATED. FLC DSNDED IN RESPONSE AND NOTIFIED ATC.
Narrative
Z TIME: XA35Z. FREQ/ALT: ZFW OVER BONHAM VOR. ATC FACILITY: ZFW. LOCATION: APPROX 12 MI SW OF BONHAM VORTAC; 11000 FT ON ARR. WE'D BEEN CLRED FOR THE BONHAM ARR DFW; AND WERE AT 11000 FT AT 250 KTS JUST SW OF THE VORTAC. FT WORTH HAD CORRECTLY ADVISED ALL ACFT OF THE SKYDIVING ACTIVITY VICINITY OF BONHAM. WE WERE VMC AND HAD A JUMP ACFT IN SIGHT AT APPROX 12500 FT. I OBSERVED THE JUMPER LEAVE THE ACFT AND PASS IN FRONT OF US AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 4 MI. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY; THE JUMP ACFT BEGAN A DSCNT AT ABOUT OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS AND; JUST TO MAKE THINGS A BIT MORE EXCITING; WE RECEIVED AND RESPONDED TO A TCASII ALERT TO DSND. THE RA LASTED ONLY A CYCLE AND WE ONLY DSNDED 100 FT. I ADVISED FT WORTH THAT WE HAD BRIEFLY RESPONDED TO A TCASII RA AND WERE RETURNING TO 11000 FT. HE SHIPPED US TO APCH CTL IMMEDIATELY. I'M CERTAIN THAT SKYDIVING IN THAT PARTICULAR AIRSPACE IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE PERFECTLY LEGAL; BUT IT IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE PERFECTLY STUPID. UNFORTUNATELY; IT WILL TAKE A FEW SKYDIVER FATALITIES OR; WORSE; A HULL LOSS TO CAUSE IT TO BE MOVED ELSEWHERE TO A LOCATION THAT COMMON SENSE WOULD SELECT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.