Posted on 04/09/2010 10:28:31 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Two military fighter jets came so close to a commercial flight over southern Ohio this week that they triggered a cockpit alarm in the commuter plane, whose pilots could see the F-16s nearby, authorities said Friday.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 5202, a 70-seat commuter jet, was flying from Cleveland to Atlanta on Thursday at 30,000 feet when its two pilots saw the F-16s nearby at 10 a.m., the airline said.
The plane with 58 passengers and four crew members remained on its flight plan and landed on time, Kate Modolo, spokeswoman for the Atlanta-based carrier, said Friday.
"Our pilots did a good job and handled the flight appropriately and got our passengers safely to Atlanta," she said.
Radar showed the Ohio National Guard F-16s were flying at 30,000 feet when they should have been no higher than 29,000 feet, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said.
The commercial plane "encountered two F-16s and they had a near-miss incident," Molinaro said.
A cockpit computer system alarm engaged, and the commercial pilots could see the F-16s, he said, but he couldn't say how near they came. Pilots contacted controllers, who cleared them to climb to 36,000 feet as a precaution.
The FAA will provide its information to the military to investigate, Molinaro said.
Officials at the Columbus-based Guard said they couldn't immediately comment on the investigation
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Near-Miss is a hit.
Near-Hit ... is a miss.
As the King of All Rhetoric, I rule that this commonly made critique is without basis. A “near miss” is a miss that comes near. Very simple.
No extra charge for In-Flight Entertainment.
Submit receipts for laundry reimbursement.
If the f-16 was too far away to spit on, he wasn’t close.
I had one years ago. I was flying over Dallas above the TCA and a Delta 727 was decending into the TCA. He passed off my right wing tip. It was night and I could see the passengers in the 727. I estimate it was 100 yards.
I had a UAV/drone set off my traffic alert flying between Palm Springs and Burbank a few months ago. I believe it was either global hawk or the reaper UAV. First thing I thought it was a glider with that huge wingspan, then I noticed the upward canted V-tail. Air Traffic Control was asleep at the wheel in that sector.
ATC really screwed up that night. That was about 2 weeks before the ATC controllers went on strike and Ronald Reagan fired them. I miss Reagan!
I had one years ago. I was flying over Dallas above the TCA and a Delta 727 was decending into the TCA. He passed off my right wing tip. It was night and I could see the passengers in the 727. I estimate it was 100 yards.
ATC really screwed up that night. That was about 2 weeks before the ATC contollers went on strike and Ronald Reagan fired them. I miss Reagan!
If I remember correctly, in the air 5 miles is a close encounter....If you cannot see the pilot wave to you, he’s not that close...
Pilot’s log:
Note to self: when seeing F-16’s flying toward me, I should move out of the way.
Just d@mn.
Was that during the time that the ATC controllers were reporting asbestos falling on their desks?
An F16 can make up the difference before you can get your mouth wet.
The Global Hawks fly in and out of Palmdale and Edwards quite a bit.
So the F16 pilots, who are accustomed to flying is close formation, endangered this plane? I doubt it.
Do UAVs have transponders? I think the ground controllers of the UAVs need to carefully monitor local air traffic regardless.
Sounds like a non-event. TCAS alarms will sound well before anything that could be considered a “near miss.” The aircraft were visual on each other, so no danger.
The only time five miles is a criteria for separation is when an aircraft is following a “heavy”, an aircraft with a weight in excess of 300,000 pounds. This is due to the wake turbulence generated by the large aircraft.
Separation depends on the location. Separation rules are different close at an airport and they depend on the types of aircraft.
Separation rules in cruise flight depend on altitude and type of operation, whether it be visual flight rules or instrument flight rules. The rules for separation between flight level 290 and flight level 410 are designed for aircraft and crews trained especially in Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums.
I love the information we get from other freepers...thanks for the correction :O) GG
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