SMT TWIN HAS CONFLICT WITH SMA JUMP ACFT; BUT TRAFFIC ADVISORY GIVEN AND TRAFFIC SIGHTED. NOTED A SINGLE PARACHUTIST LEAVE THE ACFT AS HE WAS PASSING CLEAR.

1988-04 · NASA ASRS report 85702

Date: 1988-04 · Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

SMT TWIN HAS CONFLICT WITH SMA JUMP ACFT; BUT TRAFFIC ADVISORY GIVEN AND TRAFFIC SIGHTED. NOTED A SINGLE PARACHUTIST LEAVE THE ACFT AS HE WAS PASSING CLEAR.

Narrative

WHILE AT CRUISE; LEVEL AT 8000' IN OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURB; WASHINGTON CENTER RPTED TFC IN MY FORWARD QUADRANT; CLBING TO 8500'; AN SMA JUMP PLANE. I ACQUIRED THE SMA AT APPROX 1 MI; 12-1 O'CLOCK; AND LEVEL APPROX 500' ABOVE ME. I RPTED THE TFC IN SIGHT AND SINCE I WAS CLOSING FROM BEHIND AT AN ANGLE; TOLD CENTER I WOULD BE PASSING OFF HIS LEFT WING. SHORTLY AFTER THIS; THE SMA RELEASED A JUMPER; WHICH I RPTED TO CENTER. AT THE TIME I WAS 500' BELOW AND APPROX 1000' HORIZ FROM THE SMA; THUS THE JUMPER DID NOT REPRESENT A DIRECT THREAT TO MY ACFT. HOWEVER; HAD MY POS BEEN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT; OR HAD I PLANNED TO CROSS THE SMA FLT PATH BEHIND RATHER THAN IN FRONT OF THE ACFT; THIS OR SUBSEQUENT JUMPERS COULD HAVE. FROM A SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION (ON ANOTHER FREQ) BTWN THE CTLR AND THE SMA; IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE CENTER CTLR HAD NOT ANTICIPATED A DROP AT THAT TIME AND; CERTAINLY; NEITHER HAD I. OBVIOUSLY; BETTER COORD IS NECESSARY IN SEPARATING PARACHUTE OPS FROM IFR TFC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: HEARD THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGE THE JUMPER ACFT; BUT COULD NOT HEAR THE JUMPER REPLY. CTLR HAD NOT CLRED THE JUMPER ACFT TO DROP HIS GROUP. DOES NOT BELIEVE THE JUMP ACFT WAS IN CLEAR COM WITH THE CTLR. ELECTED TO PASS IN FRONT OF THE ACFT WHEN HE FIRST SAW THE TFC BECAUSE HE KNEW IT WAS A JUMP ACFT. QUESTIONS THE ESTABLISHING OF A JUMP AREA IN THE VICINITY OF A VERY ACTIVE IFR ARWY SYS. CHANGED LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT; MOVING IT CLOSER TO THE DESIGNATED JUMP AREA.

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

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