2009-09 · NASA ASRS report 853123
B757 flight crew on visual approach to Runway 28L is told to go around by tower after they pass an aircraft they were told to follow landing Runway 28R. The crew never acknowledged the clearance to follow and never saw the other aircraft. A TCAS RA is generated as the go around commences.
We were cleared for the Tip Toe visual to 28L outside the marker and told that there was an Air Carrier following us. We were told to maintain 170 kts to the marker which we did. Inside the marker the tower stated something about the Air Carrier was now in front of us. We never saw this aircraft and were never told to maintain visual separation. At about 1500 ft AGL we were told to 'go around; fly heading 280 and maintain 3;000 feet'. As the co-pilot initiated the go around we received a R/A which told us to descend. We followed the RA and informed the tower which told us again to climb to 3;000 and fly heading 280. Not being able to see the other aircraft we continued to follow the RA until it informed us we were clear of conflict. The conflicting instructions from the tower; the RA and not knowing where this other aircraft was located put us in what I would consider an unstable situation; especially when the weather was as good as it was and we each were assigned different runways and were lined up with those runways. In my opinion; there was NO REASON we should have been instructed to go around when the other aircraft was above us; potentially driving us into his path. This situation was created SOLELY by the SFO tower and could have been easily averted if they had just let each aircraft proceed to their assigned runway. Upon talking with a controller (NOT a supervisor); the story that the controllers had concocted was that the Air Carrier was ALWAYS ahead of us and that we were told to go around after we passed them. This is false. We were never issued the Air Carrier as traffic and never had that aircraft in sight. I hope the company and ALPA safety will follow up with the SFO tower and get this nonsense about VFR traffic following straightened out. The situation they put us in was unacceptable and unsafe.
On final approach on the TipToe Visual to RWY 28L SFO; the tower controller cleared us to land and reported Air Carrier traffic on our right side going to rwy 28R. I do not recall seeing the other aircraft and tower said that they had us in sight. We were approx 1500 feet AGL with the gear down at approx 160 kts slowing when tower said something like; 'the other aircraft is going faster than you. Don't pass him'. Our understanding was the other aircraft was above and behind us on our right side going to the other runway in VMC and we were not at all concerned about any potential conflict. Tower then instructed us to 'Go around; climb to 3000 feet' which we proceeded to do. During our climb; we received a TCAS RA DESCEND! DESCEND! which we followed. The CAPT (PNF) then called tower and reported that we were responding to a TCAS RA. The tower controller said 'Yes that's the other aircraft; Climb to 3000 feet'. The TCAS reported CLEAR OF CONFLICT;we climbed to 3000 feet on our assigned heading; and accepted radar vectors for an uneventful landing.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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