MD80 FLC AVOIDS CONFLICT WITH SKYDIVERS AND ACFT WHILE ON STAR FROM ORD.

1999-08 · NASA ASRS report 447557

Date: 1999-08 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: descent

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-other-unknown

Synopsis

MD80 FLC AVOIDS CONFLICT WITH SKYDIVERS AND ACFT WHILE ON STAR FROM ORD.

Narrative

ACFT AHEAD OF US GOING TO ORD ADVISED OF TCASII ALERT FOR ANOTHER ACFT HOVERING OVER BEARZ INTXN ON APCH FREQ. WE SAW THE CONFLICT ON TCASII AND WERE ALSO ALERTED BY APCH CTL. EXPECTING A HELI TYPE TARGET; WE WERE VIGILANT LOOKING INTO THE SETTING SUN IN HAZE. WE PICKED UP THE TARGET ACFT AT OUR ALT CLOSING. HAVING ACQUIRED THE TFC VISUALLY NOW LESS THAN 3 MI AWAY; I BEGAN A L TURN JUST AS THE TARGET ACFT EJECTED 2 PARACHUTE JUMPERS. HAD I BEGUN THE DSCNT PER TCASII ALERT; WE WOULD HAVE FLOWN THROUGH THE CHUTIST'S PATH. THE COURSE OF ACTION TAKEN TO TURN VICE DSND WAS VOICED TO APCH CTL; AND WE WERE CLRED BACK TO ORD WHEN CLR OF TFC. DROP ACFT WAS ON THE ARR RTE TO ORD AT AN EVEN ALT OF 11000 FT. GIVEN THE POOR VISIBILITY AND SUN ANGLE; THIS WAS NOT A SAFE TIME AND PLACE TO BE DROPPING SKYDIVERS WITH PARASAIL CHUTES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: BY RPTR'S ACCOUNT; THE TFC WAS RPTED BY THE ACFT IN FRONT OF THEM AS HOVERING; WHICH HE UNDERSTOOD AS A HELI. IN FACT; THE ACFT WAS A FIXED; HIGH WING; SINGLE ENG ACFT WHICH WAS FLYING A CIRCULAR PATTERN IN THE VICINITY OF THE BEARZ INTXN. WHILE APCH CTL ALERTED THE FLT TO THE TFC; THEY WERE APPARENTLY NOT AWARE THAT IT WAS A SKYDIVING ACFT. THE FLT MONITORED THE ACFT ON TCASII. THE FO ACQUIRED THE ACFT VISUALLY ON THE R SIDE AS THE CAPT BEGAN AN EVASIVE L BANK. THEY DID RECEIVE A TCASII RA BUT DID NOT RESPOND SINCE TO DO SO WOULD HAVE PUT THEM IN A DSCNT THROUGH THE 2 PARACHUTE JUMPERS. THE RPTR RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM HIS COMPANY INDICATING THAT C90 TRACON REALIZES THAT SKYDIVING IS AUTH IN THE AREA.

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

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