AN ARRIVING B737 HAS A CLOSE CALL WITH A 'DOWNTOWN TOUR' CESSNA WHILE MAKING A VISUAL APCH TO LOVE FIELD; DAL; TX.

Date: 1998-12

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN ARRIVING B737 HAS A CLOSE CALL WITH A 'DOWNTOWN TOUR' CESSNA WHILE MAKING A VISUAL APCH TO LOVE FIELD; DAL; TX.

Narrative

COMING INTO DAL WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 31L. WE HAD A CESSNA IN SIGHT AT APPROX 2000 FT AND WERE TOLD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. I COULD NOT SEE THE CESSNA FROM MY SEAT BUT THE CAPT COULD AND SAID THAT I WAS CLR OF TFC. I COULD SEE THE TFC ON OUR TCASII DISPLAY AND WAS CONCERNED THAT IT WOULD BE A CONFLICT; BUT THE CAPT MAINTAINED THAT HE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT AND THAT HE [THE TFC] WAS NO FACTOR. I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SIT AND THOUGHT THAT POSSIBLY THE CAPT WAS LOOKING AT ANOTHER ACFT. THE ACFT WAS CLRLY GOING TO BE IN OUR FLT PATH FROM WHAT I COULD SEE ON TCASII DISPLAY (3 MI SCALE). I LEVELED OFF ABOUT 300 FT ABOVE CONFLICTING TFC AND THEN WE RECEIVED A 'CLB' ADVISORY. I IMMEDIATELY CLBED PER THE RA BECAUSE; AT THAT POINT; I DIDN'T KNOW IF THE CAPT HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT OR NOT. THE RA WAS OVER IN LESS THAN 5 SECONDS; AT WHICH TIME THE CAPT LOOKED AT ME AND SAID 'HE TURNED RIGHT INTO US.' I WAS NEVER ABLE TO SEE THE TFC; THEREFORE; I AM ONLY ABLE TO BASE SEPARATION ON WHAT I SAW ON TCASII DISPLAY. THE NEXT ACFT RECEIVED A MORE THOROUGH DESCRIPTION OF CESSNA'S FLT PATH (DOWNTOWN TOUR). WE DID NOT KNOW THIS. I WILL USE MORE CAUTION WHEN EXERCISING VISUAL APCHS AT NIGHT AFTER WE HAVE CALLED TFC IN SIGHT. APCH COULD HAVE BEEN MORE HELPFUL AND CESSNA SHOULD NOT BE DOING TOURS OF DOWNTOWN WHILE FLYING THROUGH AN ARR PATH FOR LOVE FIELD.

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