One VERY close call

[RVG8tor]

I fly international and one of my pet peeves is that a lot of foreign controllers speak their native language to aircraft on the ground to include takeoff clearances. It is kind of hard to catch a mistake like the controller made here if you don't speak the language.

When taking the active clear your flight path, ahead and behind the intended runway, also put every light you have on, we do this at my airline when cleared to cross a runway even if it is not active. Thank goodness the runway was wide enough for the two airplanes.

Another obvious thing is the controllers need training dealing with abnormal situations. We get trained on rejected takeoffs and it becomes a second nature response. The controller was tongue tied, I am sure she knew what she wanted to say but just could not form the sentences fast enough. The call she did get out most likely saved the day, that or the crew saw what was ahead and had already started to reject the takeoff. I don't know if ATC controllers have any kind of simulator but they should. Funny there was one point where the controller was just watching what was developing.


Communications 101 in an urgent situation: BE DIRECTIVE - get planes moving in the right direction. BE DESCRIPTIVE - Let everyone know what is going on. The controller never made a descriptive call, if she had perhaps the Pilatus crew would have taken the plane off into the dirt knowing a jet was riding up their bum!

There was a controller a few years back that cleared an airplane on to hold with jet on final, they only missed due to the displaced threshold. The controller received additional training and was put back on the job. Most pilots who make a mistake this severe would be out of a job!

[Danger Will Robinson]

Originally Posted by RV8iator

They received t/o clearance and very next transmission stated another aircraft cleared for t/o on their runway.

I was an airline pilot and definitely at the start of t/o roll we were listening, heads on a swivel and trying to stay situationally alert.

It's busy in the cockpit at that moment but you should never tune out just because you're cleared for t/o. JMHO

Yes, The bluestreak crew did hear the controller clear the other aircraft into position but she did not state the intersection, so their was no reason for them to believe the aircraft she was talking to was not behind them.

They saw the other aircraft, rejected their takeoff and avoided a collision.

The crew of PSA 390 also received a commendation from the FAA for being situationaly alert and preventing an accident.

[Flyfalcons]

The PSA crew did a good job of avoiding the accident. The animation doesn't give a really good idea on when they started the abort, but they did stop/swerve in time and that's all that mattered. They didn't tell ATC when they were aborting (and certainly didn't need to) so we can only make guesses as to when they noticed the hazard.

[Danger Will Robinson]

Originally Posted by Flyfalcons

They didn't tell ATC when they were aborting (and certainly didn't need to) so we can only make guesses as to when they noticed the hazard.

I think you mean they didn't tell ATC when they began the abort because I clearly heard the F.O. on the tape say "bluestreak 390 rejecting eighteen left".

He did this exactly as he was supposed to and he did need to because PSA procedure requires ATC to be advised of a reject, but not until the aircraft is below sixty knots.

Procedures like rejected takeoffs are well scripted and practiced during airline training.

We know from the tapes that the local controller lost situational awareness and did not follow procedure.

IMHO the pilot of N409DR also demonstrated poor situational awareness and procedure.

He was on the frequency when bluestreak was cleared for takeoff.

He also did not question the controller when she gave him position and hold without stating the intersection
[A glaring omission] and he did not clear the runway before entering it.

The A.I.M. states that pilots departing from an intersection should state their position on the airport when contacting the tower. [AIM 4-3-10]

Even though the tower called him first he could have complied with the intent of the procedure by correcting her.

Here's the NTSB report http://www.ntsb.gov/Dockets/Aviation...5AB/424166.pdf