LIFEGUARD HELICOPTER HAS AIRBORNE CONFLICT WITH WIDEBODY JET AT 1900 FEET OVER ZZZ.

Date: 2007-02 · Aircraft: Helicopter · Phase: approach

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

LIFEGUARD HELICOPTER HAS AIRBORNE CONFLICT WITH WIDEBODY JET AT 1900 FEET OVER ZZZ.

Narrative

I WAS CLRED INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE FROM THE NE BY APCH CTL AND REQUESTED TO MAINTAIN 2500 FT UNTIL S OF ZZZ. APPROX 7 MI NE OF ZZZ I WAS HANDED OFF TO ZZZ TWR. TWR REQUESTED MY HDG. I REPLIED 190 DEGS WHICH WOULD TAKE ME JUST E OF THE ARPT. A SHORT TIME LATER THE TWR CTLR ASKED ME TO FLY DIRECT TOWARD THE ARPT AS FOG WAS MOVING IN FROM THE E AND SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT ON MY PRESENT COURSE. I TURNED TOWARD THE ARPT AT THAT TIME. I HEARD THE TWR SPEAKING TO ANOTHER ACFT STATING THAT THEY WERE USING RWY 26 FOR ARRS AND DEPS. FOG WAS NOW JUST AT THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 26R AND RWY 26L. BEYOND THAT TO THE W AND S THE CONDITIONS WERE UNRESTR VISIBILITY AND NO CEILING. AS I CROSSED THE NE BOUNDARY OF THE ARPT THE TWR CTLR ADVISED ME THAT THE FIELD WAS GOING IFR AND WHAT WERE MY INTENTIONS. I REQUESTED SVFR AND WAS GIVEN THE CLRNC WITH A RESTR TO MAINTAIN 1900 FT OR BELOW. I MADE AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT TO 1900 FT. JUST AFTER XING OVERHEAD RWY 26L TOUCHDOWN POINT; MY AFT FACING MEDICAL ATTENDANT IN THE SEAT BEHIND ME ASKED IF I HAD THE TFC AT 4 O'CLOCK POS. I LOOKED OVER MY SHOULDER AND SAW A WDB JET BELOW AND IN A CLB. WE WERE ON A CONFLICTING COURSE LINE. I TURNED L TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE JET UNTIL IT PASSED ME BUT AT THE SAME TIME; THE TWR INSTRUCTED HIM TO MAKE A SHARP L TURN. THIS WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE JET DIRECTLY TOWARDS ME. I INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE L CLBING TURN AND AT THE SAME TIME THE WDB PLT ADVISED TWR HE HAD A PROX WARNING AND I OBSERVED HIM ABORT THE CLB AND CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD UNTIL HE WAS CLR OF ME. THIS PROB MAY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT ABOUT BY ANOTHER MEDICAL HELI THAT WAS SBOUND ALSO ON THE W SIDE OF THE ARPT AND AHEAD OF ME BY ABOUT 1/2 MI. I BELIEVE THE TWR CTLR WAS VECTORING THE JET AWAY FROM HIM WITHOUT CONSIDERING MY OWN POS. THE WDB PLT APPROPRIATELY IGNORED THE TURN REQUEST AND IT APPEARS HE INITIATED EVASIVE ACTION BASED ON HIS TCAS WARNING. I PASSED ABOVE AND BEHIND THE JET AND CONTINUED SBOUND OUT OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I HAVE OPERATED IN THE ZZZ CLASS B FOR OVER 25 YRS AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE NECESSITY FOR EVASIVE ACTION. ONE SUGGESTION I HAVE IS FOR A VFR CORRIDOR OVER THE TOP OF ZZZ FOR ACFT TRANSITING N AND SBOUND. IT SEEMS TO WORK WELL IN OTHER HIGH DENSITY ARPT AREAS AND MAY BE A GOOD TIME TO INSTITUTE ONE HERE.

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