09 September 2010

Passenger jet narrowly misses collision in London

Two planes almost crashed into each other over London last summer, a new report has revealed.

It was only thanks to last minute avoidance action by the pilot of a Citation 525 jet that the plane missed hitting a Turkish Airlines passenger jet carrying 232 people heading for Heathrow airport on July 27, according to the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB).

Both at 4000 feet up, the Citation was only half a mile away from the Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 and between 100 and 200 feet below it when its pilot realised the danger.

The near miss happened, says the report, after the London City Airport control tower cleared the Citation to ascend to 3000 feet but then missed a "read back" acknowledgement from the crew that it would be climbing to 4000 feet.

At the same time, the passenger plane had been given the go-ahead to descend to 4000 feet as it came into land in west London.

The report also highlighted that the Turkish Airlines crew did not respond in time to on-board avoidance collision warnings, known as TCAS II. The Citation was not fitted with a TCAS II.

Since the incident, the AAIB reports that changes have been made to instruction and read-back conveyance to avoid future confusion. The organisation also recommends all planes be equipped with TCAS II.

by Dinah Hatch

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Due diligence is key

Ultimately, aviation safety whether in a scheduled airliner or a private jet is about a combination of modern, well maintained aircraft, and the experience and training of the pilot. Private jets are as safe - if not more so - than commercial airlines but to ensure ongoing confidence in the sector (and their own commercial success), private jet operators and brokers such as PrivateFly.com have an obligation to perform ongoing due diligence. This should include ensuring that aircraft have the most up-to-date safety systems and highly experienced crew.

By Viv Diprose, Thursday, September 9, 2010