HVY JET ON VECTORS FOR AN ILS APCH LOSES CONTACT WITH APCH. SEPARATION LOSS RESULTS.
Synopsis
HVY JET ON VECTORS FOR AN ILS APCH LOSES CONTACT WITH APCH. SEPARATION LOSS RESULTS.
Narrative
ON MAY/XA/06 I WAS THE CAPT AND PF ON ACFT X. THE FO WAS HANDLING THE RADIOS. OUR DEST WAS MEM; AND WE WERE FLYING THE WLDER 4 ARR. AT CLARK INTXN WE TURNED TO A HDG OF 175 DEGS; COM WAS NORMAL ON 125.8. WE WERE SENT TO THE FINAL CTLR ON 120.92. THIS CTLR GAVE US A DSCNT TO 3000 FT. AT THAT TIME WE WERE APPROX ABEAM MEM. DURING THE DSCNT TO 3000 FT; WE DID NOTICE THAT THE FREQ WAS QUIET. INITIALLY IT DID NOT ALERT US THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG; SINCE WE HAD JUST CHKED IN ON THE FREQ AND DID NOT KNOW HOW MUCH TFC HE WAS CTLING. AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 MINS; THE FO SAID 'IT SURE IS QUIET.' I TOLD THE FO TO CHK BACK IN THE CTLR; HE ASKED 'HOW DO YOU HEAR ME?' THE FO REPLIED 'LOUD AND CLR.' THE CTLR STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF US; THEN GAVE US VECTORS FOLLOWED BY A CLRNC FOR THE ILS RWY 36R APCH. NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID! UNKNOWN TO US; THE CTLR WAS TRYING TO WORK ANOTHER ACFT Y ON A BASE ENTRY AHEAD OF US (WE WERE ON DOWNWIND). THIS WOULD HAVE WORKED; EXCEPT HE ALLOWED ACFT Y TO DEVIATE; CREATING THE POTENTIAL CONFLICT. THE CTLR TRIED TO REACH US 3-4 TIMES AT 20 SECOND INTERVALS (DID NOT TRY 121.5; WHICH WE WERE ON); AND DURING THAT TIME DID NOT GIVE ACFT Y ANY DIRECTIVES. AFTER THE ATTEMPTS TO REACH US; HE DID GIVE ACFT Y A HDG; BUT WE AND ACFT Y GOT SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 3 MI FROM EACH OTHER. IN A STERILE COCKPIT; IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO MISS A RADIO CALL. IT IS CONCEIVABLE TO MISS 2 RADIO CALLS; BUT NOT 3 OR 4 CALLS. AFTER 2 CALL ATTEMPTS IN THE APCH ENVIRONMENT; THE CTLR HAS GOT TO ASSUME LOST COM AND TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.