CONGESTED FREQ; WRONG CLRNC ACCEPTED; AND A BLOCKED XMISSION DELAY RECEIPT OF A CLRNC LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE A TFC ALERT FOR THE CTLR AND A TCASII RA FOR THE CREW AS 2 ACFT ARE NOSE TO NOSE AT THE SAME ALT APCHING PHX; AZ.

2002-03 · NASA ASRS report 542006

Date: 2002-03 · Aircraft: B737-300 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

CONGESTED FREQ; WRONG CLRNC ACCEPTED; AND A BLOCKED XMISSION DELAY RECEIPT OF A CLRNC LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE A TFC ALERT FOR THE CTLR AND A TCASII RA FOR THE CREW AS 2 ACFT ARE NOSE TO NOSE AT THE SAME ALT APCHING PHX; AZ.

Narrative

WE WERE FLYING A 180 DEGS ASSIGNED HEADING BEING VECTORED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26 AT PHX AT 5000 FT MSL. DUE TO HVY RADIO CONGESTION; ATC INSTRUCTED US TO TURN TOWARD RWY 26 FINAL APCH COURSE WAS EVIDENTIALLY BLOCKED FIRST TIME. THE SECOND CALL WAS ANSWERED INCORRECTLY BY ANOTHER ACFT. BY THE TIME A CLR RADIO XMISSION WAS GIVEN; WE WERE FLYING THE ASSIGNED 180 DEG HDG THROUGH THE RWY 26 FINAL APCH COURSE. ATC INSTRUCTED 'TFC ALERT DSND NOW TO 4000 FT AND TURN R TO 330 DEGS AND INTERCEPT RWY 26 LOC.' THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT ON A NORTHERLY HEADING ON VECTOR FOR RWY 25L OR R AT THE SAME ALT. CAPT IMMEDIATELY STARTED A DSNDING R TURN. THE TCASII GAVE US AN RA TO CLB; BUT ONLY ONCE AS IT HAPPENED JUST AS OR RIGHT AFTER WE HAD ALREADY STARTED TO DSND. NO MORE TCASII ALERTS WERE HEARD. ATC THEN CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26. THE OTHER ACFT WAS ABOUT 3-4 MI AT 12 O'CLOCK POS; AND THE SAME ALT AT ITS CLOSEST POINT AND WAS IN SIGHT THE ENTIRE TIME. A SIMPLE WAY TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN WOULD BE TO NOT VECTOR 2 AIRPLANES DIRECTLY TOWARDS EACH OTHER AT THE SAME ALT; EVEN IF THEY ARE EVENTUALLY GOING TO DIFFERENT RWYS.

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

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