POTENTIAL CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO ACR MAKING PARALLEL APCHS; AND PROBABLE LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN ACFT ON SAME APCH COURSE. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Date: 1988-06 · Aircraft: Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-track-heading-all-types

Synopsis

POTENTIAL CONFLICT BETWEEN TWO ACR MAKING PARALLEL APCHS; AND PROBABLE LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN ACFT ON SAME APCH COURSE. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative

FLT BEING VECTORED FROM RMG ARR TO ATL RWY 8L FINAL. ASSIGNED SPD 250 KTS. DSNDING TO 4000' MSL. BOTH ILS AIDS TUNED AND SET FOR APCH. AUTOPLT ENGAGED. APCH CTL ASKED IF WE SAW TFC (Z) 5 MI AHEAD; WE DID NOT SEE THE TFC. VECTOR HDG REVISED FROM 180 DEG TO 140 DEG AND APCH AGAIN ASKED IF WE SAW OUR TFC OR THE ARPT. THE CAPT CALLED ARPT IN SIGHT AND WAS GIVEN CLRNC FOR VIS APCH TO 8L. OVERSHOT FINAL TO ABOUT MIDWAY BTWN 8L AND 9R. CAPT DIRECTED TURN TO L TO REINTERCEPT. DURING TURN; ATC DIRECTED IMMEDIATE TURN TO 060 DEG. WE REPLIED THAT WE WERE IN THE TURN. (AUTOPLT DISENGAGED TO INCREASE TURN RATE) ATC ASKED IF WE SAW TFC Y AT 2500' OFF OUR RIGHT. WE DID NOT SEE THE TFC DUE TO BANK ANGLE AND SPD TFC WAS PROBABLY BEHIND US. REINTERCEPTED COURSE; CONTINUED DSCNT; CONTACTED TWR AND USED ALL MEANS TO SLOW FOR LNDG DUE TO CLOSING ON ACR Z TFC AHEAD. CAUSES: 1) SPD HIGHER THAN USUAL FOR BASE-FINAL TURN. 2) CAPT ACCEPTED VISUAL CLRNC WHILE STILL LOOKING FOR TFC AHEAD DID NOT DETECT RATE OF CLOSURE WITH FINAL COURSE UNTIL TOO LATE TO PREVENT OVERSHOOT. 3) DUSK PLUS HAZE IMPAIRED VISUAL CUES TO SOME DEGREE. 4) ONE FACTOR MAY BE LACK OF PLANNING; IN PART DUE TO RELINQUISHING SPD CONTROL TO ATC UNDER MOST APCH SEQUENCES IN ATC. 5) F/O FLYING WAS INEXPERIENCED APPROX 24 HOURS IN TYPE. CAPT SHOULD HAVE SUGGESTED SPD REDUCTION MUCH SOONER. F/O WAS 'KEYED' TO 250 BY PREVIOUS REQUESTS BY CENTER AND APCH TO MAINTAIN 250 KTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED FOLLOWING INFO. DOES NOT KNOW TYPE OF ACFT FOR ACR Y TFC. THERE WAS STEADY STREAM FOR BOTH RWYS. RPTR DID SEE THE ACR WHICH WAS AHEAD OF THEM FOR SAME RWY (8L). WERE IN LEFT TURN WHICH WOULD BLOCK VIEW OF TFC ON PARALLELED APCH. SAYS HE SHOULD HAVE TOLD COPLT TO REDUCE AIRSPD MUCH SOONER. THOUGHT CTLR REALIZED THAT IN TRAIL SEP WAS BEING LOST DUE TO HIGH AIRSPD OF ACR X AND SO CTLR WAS ANXIOUS FOR THEM TO SEE ARPT AND PRECEDING TFC SO HE COULD CLEAR THEM FOR VISUAL APCH AND MAKE FLT CREW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEP. NEVER DID SEE THE TFC OFF TO THEIR RIGHT SIDE; BUT HAD ALT SEP FROM THAT ACFT.

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