A343 / B744, en-route, south of Newfoundland Canada, 1998
A343 / B744, en-route, south of Newfoundland Canada, 1998
Summary
On 20 July 1998, after an ATC error south of Newfoundland, an Air France A340 and an Air Canada 747-400 were on directly converging tracks and at the same level. Collision was avoided by the correct actioning of coordinated TCAS RAs by both aircraft.
Flight Details
Aircraft
Operator
Type of Flight
Public Transport (Passenger)
Flight Origin
Intended Destination
Take-off Commenced
Yes
Flight Airborne
Yes
Flight Completed
Yes
Phase of Flight
Cruise
Flight Details
Operator
Type of Flight
Public Transport (Passenger)
Flight Origin
Intended Destination
Take-off Commenced
Yes
Flight Airborne
No
Flight Completed
No
Phase of Flight
Cruise
Location
General
Tag(s)
Aircraft-aircraft near miss
HF
Tag(s)
ATC clearance error,
Ineffective Monitoring,
Procedural non compliance
LOS
Tag(s)
Required Separation not maintained,
ATC Error,
Near Miss
EPR
Tag(s)
PAN declaration
Outcome
Damage or injury
No
Non-aircraft damage
No
Non-occupant Casualties
No
Off Airport Landing
No
Ditching
No
Causal Factor Group(s)
Group(s)
Air Traffic Management
Safety Recommendation(s)
Group(s)
None Made
Investigation Type
Type
Independent
Description
On 20 July 1998, after an ATC error south of Newfoundland, an Air France A340 Family and an Air Canada 747-400 were on directly converging tracks and at the same level. Collision was avoided by the correct actioning of coordinated Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) RAs by both aircraft.
Synopsis
The following is extracted from the synopsis of the official Transport Safety Board (Canada)Report:
"Air France flight 033 (AFR033), an Airbus A340 aircraft, was en route from Houston, Texas, USA, to Paris, France, at flight level FL370 with a routing of WHALE, BANCS, and latitude 46N longitude 50W (Oceanic Track "X"). Air Canada flight 870 (ACA870), a Boeing B747 aircraft, was en route from Montreal, Quebec, to Paris at FL370 with a routing of MILLS, COLOR, and latitude 47N longitude 50W (Oceanic Track "W"). ACA870 was re-cleared from MILLS direct to latitude 45N longitude 50W (Oceanic Track "Y"). The new routing placed ACA870 on a converging track with AFR033. Approximately 30 miles west of the BANCS intersection, both aircraft received and responded to traffic avoidance and collision advisory system (TCAS) resolution advisories (RA). A loss of separation occurred at approximately 0213 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when the two aircraft closed to approximately 400 ft vertically and 1.9 nm horizontally. The required separation in the airspace for these aircraft is 5 nm horizontally or 1000 ft vertically."
Loss of Separation near BANCS
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Further Reading
- For further information, see the full TSB Report
