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A343 / B744, en-route, south of Newfoundland Canada, 1998
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Summary |
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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. |
Event Details | |
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When | July 1998 |
Actual or Potential Event Type |
Human Factors, Loss of Separation |
Day/Night | Night |
Flight Conditions | IMC |
Flight Details | |
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Aircraft | AIRBUS A-340-300 |
Operator | Air France |
Domicile | France |
Type of Flight | Public Transport (Passenger) |
Origin | Houston Intercontinental |
Intended Destination | Paris/Charles de Gaulle Airport |
Take off Commenced | Yes |
Flight Airborne | Yes |
Flight Completed | Yes |
Flight Phase | Cruise |
ENR |
Flight Details | |
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Aircraft | BOEING 747-400 (international, winglets) |
Operator | Air Canada |
Domicile | Canada |
Type of Flight | Public Transport (Passenger) |
Origin | Montreal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport |
Intended Destination | Paris/Charles de Gaulle Airport |
Take off Commenced | Yes |
Flight Airborne | No |
Flight Completed | No |
Flight Phase | Cruise |
ENR |
Location En-Route | |
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Origin | Houston Intercontinental |
Destination | Paris/Charles de Gaulle Airport |
Location En-Route | |
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Origin | Montreal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport |
Destination | Paris/Charles de Gaulle Airport |
Location | |
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Approx. | south of Newfoundland, Canada |
General | |
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Tag(s) | Aircraft-aircraft near miss |
HF | |
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Tag(s) | ATC clearance error, Ineffective Monitoring, Procedural non compliance |
LOS | |
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Tag(s) | Required Separation not maintained, ATC Error, Near Miss |
EPR | |
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Tag(s) | PAN declaration |
Safety Net Mitigations | |
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TCAS | Effective |
Outcome | |
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Damage or injury | No |
Causal Factor Group(s) | |
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Group(s) | Air Traffic Management |
Safety Recommendation(s) | |
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Group(s) | None Made |
Investigation Type | |
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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 ft121.92 m <br /> vertically and 1.9 nm3,518.8 m <br />3.519 km <br />11,544.619 ft <br /> horizontally. The required separation in the airspace for these aircraft is 5 nm9,260 m <br />9.26 km <br />30,380.577 ft <br /> horizontally or 1000 ft304.8 m <br /> vertically."
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Further Reading
- For further information, see the full TSB Report