A CE560 AT 8000 FT FOLLOWING AN AIRBUS REPORTS ENCOUNTERING WAKE TURBULENCE 8 NM BEHIND AND 2000 FT ABOVE IT.

Date: 2007-11 · Aircraft: Citation V/Ultra/Encore (C560) · Phase: descent

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-wake-vortex-encounter

Synopsis

A CE560 AT 8000 FT FOLLOWING AN AIRBUS REPORTS ENCOUNTERING WAKE TURBULENCE 8 NM BEHIND AND 2000 FT ABOVE IT.

Narrative

WE WERE FLYING TO OPA LOCKA; FL; ON THE DVALL1 ARRIVAL. FROM 15000 FT WE WERE CLEARED TO 10000 FT AND 250 KNOTS. WE WERE TURNED 15 DEGREES LEFT FOR SPACING BEHIND AN AIRBUS; AND EVENTUALLY CLEARED BACK ONTO THE APPROACH. MIAMI APPROACH CLEARED US DOWN TO 3000 FT; AND WE BEGAN OUR DESCENT. AT 8000 FT; WE HIT WHAT WE BELIEVE WAS WAKE TURBULENCE -- IT ABRUPTLY PUT THE AIRCRAFT INTO AN EXTREME BANK; TWICE; AND CAUSED THE AUTOPILOT TO KICK OFF. THERE WAS NO WEATHER (IT WAS VMC); OR ANY OTHER PHENOMENON THAT WE KNOW OF THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. THIS WAS BY FAR THE WORST WAKE TURBULENCE I'VE EXPERIENCED IN MY CAREER. THE CAPTAIN REPORTED IT TO MIAMI APPROACH; TELLING THEM HE THOUGHT IT WAS WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE AIRBUS. MIAMI APPROACH RESPONDED THAT THEY DIDN'T THINK IT COULD BE WAKE TURBULENCE; AS THE AIRBUS WAS 8 MILES AHEAD AND 2000 FT BELOW US. I'M QUITE CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS; IN FACT; WAKE TURBULENCE. I WOULD GUESS THAT OUR DESCENT TOOK US THROUGH THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRBUS; WHICH ALSO WAS IN A DESCENT. IT'S ENTIRELY CONCEIVABLE THAT 8 MILES PRIOR; THE AIRBUS COULD HAVE BEEN AT OR ABOVE OUR ALTITUDE. CONTROLLERS NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE PHENOMENON OF ENRTE WAKE TURBULENCE; AND HOW THEY CAN PUT AN AIRCRAFT IN JEOPARDY BY CAUSING IT TO FLY THROUGH THE WAKE OF A PRECEDING AIRPLANE. I'M QUITE THANKFUL THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PASSENGERS ON BOARD!

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