B737 DEP FROM SNA EXPERIENCED TCASII RA WITH VFR LEARJET AT 7000 FT.

Date: 2004-05 · Aircraft: B737-700 · Phase: climb

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|other-conflicting-r-a-s

Synopsis

B737 DEP FROM SNA EXPERIENCED TCASII RA WITH VFR LEARJET AT 7000 FT.

Narrative

DEPARTED SNA ON MUSSEL 6 SID; INITIALLY STOPPED AT 5000 FT (AUTOPLT ENGAGED); TURNED L TO 90 DEGS TO INTERCEPT SXC 61 DEG RADIAL OF SID; THEN CLRED TO 7000 FT. LOTS OF VFR TFC; VERY NICE DAY. NOTICED TFC ON TCASII AT OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS; MAYBE BTWN 8-10 MI CONVERGING; DSNDING OUT OF 8400 FT. I CAN'T REMEMBER IF HE WAS CALLED TO US AS TFC; AS THERE WAS A CONSTANT STREAM OF RADIO TFC. WE WERE CALLED AS TFC TO THIS ACFT (I WAS UNAWARE OF THE TYPE AT THE TIME AND WE HAD NO VISUAL) AND I HEARD HIM ACKNOWLEDGE US IN SIGHT. I ENGAGED LNAV FOR THE SID AS WE CROSSED THE RADIAL. LEAVING 6800 FT WE RECEIVED A 'MONITOR VERT SPD' ADVISORY; AND LEVELED AT 7000 FT. IMMEDIATELY WE RECEIVED A 'CLB' RA; I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT; ADVANCED THE THRUST LEVERS AND BEGAN THE CLB. AT 7200 FT THE LEARJET APPEARED IN THE FO'S WINDOW ABOVE US ON A CONVERGING COURSE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L TO AVOID THE ACFT; AND STOPPED THE CLB; WITH THE ACFT PASSING ABOVE AND TO OUR R. WE INFORMED ATC OF THE RA; RETURNED TO 7000 FT AND WERE VECTORED BACK TO THE SID. I GOT THE PHONE NUMBER FOR SOCAL BEFORE BEING HANDED OFF TO ZLA. ON ARR; I CALLED SOCAL AND SPOKE TO THE SUPVR WHO WAS MONITORING OUR CTLR. HE SAID THE LEAR WAS VFR; HAD US IN SIGHT FOR A LONG TIME AND WAS TCASII EQUIPPED. I ASKED IF IT WAS THE 'TIS' GA TCASII OR REAL TCASII; AND HE SAID HIS TAG WAS FOR REAL TCASII; AND THAT THE LEAR RECEIVED A 'CLB' RA FROM US; AND WAS INITIATING THE CLB WHEN WE TURNED AWAY FROM HIM. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE WERE BOTH GIVEN A 'CLB' RA UNLESS THE LEAR'S TCASII WAS THE 'OLD' SOFTWARE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT BY BOTH OF US FOLLOWING THE RA'S; WE PLACED OUR ACFT IN MORE OF A CONFLICT INSTEAD OF RESOLUTION. PERHAPS HIS DSCNT AND OUR CLB TRIGGERED THE ALERTS. WE WERE LEVEL AT 7000 FT WHEN WE RECEIVED OUR RA; AND I BELIEVE THAT THE LEAR WAS LEVEL AT 7500 FT WHEN THE EVENT OCCURRED. THE LAST RA I RECEIVED IN SNA WAS ON ARR SOME MONTHS AGO; LEVEL AT 5000 FT OVER HUNTINGTON BEACH. A BONANZA PASSING L TO R LEVEL AT 5500 FT TRIGGERED THE 'DSND' RA; LEADING ME TO THINK NOW THAT ANYTIME WE ARE WITHIN 500 FT OF ANOTHER ACFT (HAPPENS ALL THE TIME IN SOCAL); WE ARE GOING TO RECEIVE AN RA; AND WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RESPOND; AS I DID IN THIS EVENT AND WILL IN FUTURE EVENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY STATISTICS BEING COMPILED BY ATC AND OR THE FAA REGARDING TCASII EVENTS LIKE THIS? IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT OUR TCASII SYS MIGHT BE CREATING CONFLICT WHEN ONE DOESN'T EXIST? POSSIBLY THE BEST MEASURE TO PREVENT THESE CONFLICTS IS TO BE VECTORED AWAY FROM VFR TFC; NOT INTO THE PATH; WHICH IS DIFFICULT; I KNOW; BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF VFR VERSUS IFR AND THE SATURATION OF AIRSPACE. PERHAPS IF WE WENT A LITTLE FURTHER OUT FROM SNA AND GOT MORE ALT BEFORE TURNING E FOR THE SID; WE WOULD AVOID MORE ACFT.

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