AFTER OBTAINING ZAB AUTH TO ACTIVATE 'SOARING WINDOW' ABOVE FL180; GLIDER TAKES EVASIVE ACTION FROM CLBING CPR TWIN JET.
Synopsis
AFTER OBTAINING ZAB AUTH TO ACTIVATE 'SOARING WINDOW' ABOVE FL180; GLIDER TAKES EVASIVE ACTION FROM CLBING CPR TWIN JET.
Narrative
THIS INCIDENT TOOK PLACE DURING A LCL; RECREATIONAL SOARING FLT FROM MORIARTY; NM (0E0). CONDITIONS WERE PARTLY CLOUDY; WITH A WIND FROM THE W AT APPROX 20 KTS. ROLL CLOUDS AND LENTICULAR CLOUDS INDICATED STRONG MOUNTAIN WAVE CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT ALOFT. AFTER AN AERO TOW TO APPROX 3000 FT AGL (9200 FT MSL); I RELEASED IN STRONG WAVE LIFT (800 FPM) APPROX 5 MI W OF THE ARPT. BY THE TIME I HAD DONNED MY OXYGEN MASK AND GLOVES; I WAS CLBING THROUGH 12000 FT MSL. ANOTHER CLUB ACFT HAD LAUNCHED BEFORE ME AND WAS ALSO IN THE AREA; SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN ME. AT THIS TIME; I CONTACTED ABQ APCH AND ADVISED THEM THAT THERE WOULD BE INTENSE GLIDER ACTIVITY AT ALL ALTS; W OF 0E0. THE APCH CTLR THANKED ME FOR THE ADVISORY. I THEN ASKED HIM TO GIVE ME FLT HDGS SO HE COULD MARK MY PRIMARY BLIP ON HIS RADAR. HE DECLINED THE OFFER; ASSURING ME THAT HE HAD US AS PRIMARY TARGETS. I THEN ADVISED HIM I WAS CHANGING FREQS. BY THIS TIME; I WAS CLBING THROUGH APPROX 16000 FT MSL. REALIZING THAT THE LIFT WOULD PROBABLY EXTEND UPWARDS OF FL180; I CONTACTED ZAB TO COORD THE ACTIVATION OF OUR 'SOARING WINDOW;' AN AREA AVAILABLE TO US THROUGH AN LOA WITH ZAB. THE LOA ALLOWS US TO FLY SAIL PLANES ABOVE FL180 WITHOUT XPONDERS; IN A SPECIFIED AREA. ALL OTHER TFC IS SUPPOSED TO BE ROUTED AROUND THE AREA. AFTER INITIAL CONTACT; THE CTR CTLR ADVISED ME TO STAND BY WHILE HE VERIFIED THE AREA WAS CLR. AFTER ABOUT 3 MINS; HE ADVISED ME THE AREA WAS CLR AND ACTIVATED THE SOARING WINDOW FROM FL180 TO FL260. I ADVISED HIM THAT I WOULD BE CHANGING FREQS TO ADVISE THE OTHER PLTS OF THE STATUS OF THE SOARING WINDOW. I WAS NOW APCHING FL180; AND PROCEEDING NBOUND INTO THE S END OF THE SOARING WINDOW. THE LIFT IN THIS AREA WAS NOT AS STRONG AS IT HAD BEEN FARTHER S; AND ABOUT 3 OR 4 MINS AFTER MY LAST CONTACT WITH CTR; I WAS APPROX FL182 NBOUND (FACING NW; DUE TO HIGH WINDS; AND A HIGH CRAB ANGLE); WHEN I SAW A TWIN-ENG JET BELOW ME AND ABOUT 3 MI TO THE W. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS DSNDING INTO ABQ; BUT QUICKLY REALIZED IT WAS CLBING TOWARD ME. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I SHOULD TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. I WATCHED FOR A FEW SECONDS TO DETERMINE ITS RELATIVE MOTION TO BE SURE TO EVADE THE CORRECT DIRECTION. THERE WAS NO RELATIVE MOTION. THE JET WAS COMING STRAIGHT AT ME. I IMMEDIATELY PUSHED TO A VERT DOWNLINE. THE JET PASSED APPROX 100 FT DIRECTLY OVER ME. I SAW NO INDICATION OF EVASIVE MANEUVERS ON HIS PART. I RECOVERED AT 145 KTS; PUSHING VERY CLOSE TO MY VNE. I CONTINUED THE FLT FOR APPROX ANOTHER 2 HRS WITHOUT INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THE JET MAY HAVE BEEN IN THE 'HDOF' BTWN ABQ APCH AND ZAB; AS IT APCHED FL180. EXPECTING CLRNC TO CONTINUE; THE PLT PROBABLY NEVER SUSPECTED GLIDER ACTIVITY; OR ANY OTHER SUA THAT HIGH. BY THE TIME HE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH CTR; THE INCIDENT WAS OVER; AND HE WAS OUT OF THE SOARING WINDOW. IT CONCERNS ME THAT SO MANY COMMERCIAL PLTS FEEL THAT THE CONCEPT OF 'SEE AND AVOID' IS NO LONGER VALID; RELYING INSTEAD OF TCASII; RADAR; GPWS; ETC. DESPITE ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY IN A MODERN 'GLASS COCKPIT;' THE MOST IMPORTANT GLASS IS THAT ABOVE THE INST PANEL. WATCH FOR TFC!
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.