LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 GA ACFT. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Date: 1988-08 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear

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

Synopsis

LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 GA ACFT. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative

SMA X; CKB TO RDU; CAME ON FREQ AT 9000' REQUESTING DIRECT TO RDU. LATER THE PLT SAID HE WASN'T RECEIVING RDU AND ASKED IF HIS HDG WAS GOOD. I ASSURED HIM HIS HDG APPEARED TO BE TAKING HIM TO RDU. SMT Y; CLT TO RIC; CAME ON THE FREQ LATER AT 7000'. AFTER OBSERVING THAT THE TRACKS OF THESE 2 ACFT WOULD CROSS AT A POINT S OF SBV VORTAC; I DECIDED I COULD DSND X TO 6000' AND STAY OUT OF THE PROTECTED AIRSPACE FOR Y; WHO WAS AT 7000'. I LATER NOTICED THE 2 ACFT WERE GOING TO END UP WITH LTSS. I TURNED X TO HDG 090 DEGS AND TURNED Y TO A HDG OF 330 DEGS. WITH THESE TURNS THE ACFT CAME NO CLOSER THAN 3 MI TO EACH OTHER WHILE THEY WERE AT THE SAME ALT. WHEN THE 2 ACFT HAD SUFFICIENT SEP I CLRED X DIRECT TO RDU. THE PLT SAID HE WAS NOT RECEIVING RDU. I PUT HIM ON A HDG FOR RDU. I THEN GOT THE INFO THAT RDU WAS OFF THE AIR FOR SCHEDULED MAINT. I BELIEVE ACFT X DRIFTED W OF A DIRECT COURSE TO RDU BECAUSE HE WASN'T RECEIVING THE VORTAC. IF I HAD THE INFO ABOUT THE RDU VORTAC OUTAGE I WOULD HAVE HAD X ON A HDG AND HE PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE VIOLATED THE PROTECTED AIRSPACE OF Y.

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