Loss of Separation.

Mandla

New Member
The air traffic controller's priority is to maintain minimum requirements for separation between airplanes. Airplanes must be separated by certain distances and altitudes from each other or else loss of separation may be encountered.

Anyway, I just wanted to find out if anyone here has been in a loss of separation encounter. How did you handle the situation? Did the controller ask you to ring them after landing? What happend?
 
One day we were flying an IFR back to CRQ from SMO. It was nice day with a 5/8 broken ceiling with tops at 12,000. We were at 5,500 heading 120 towards the OCN VOR along the shoreline. We had just passed by SNA. An AA 757 had taken off while were passing. I knew he would turn back towards the shoreline. I heard the controller issue the turn. I was expecting a traffic callout from SOCAL and to us and the 757. We couldn't see him due to the clouds. We're figuring that he passed behind us without seperation being a factor. All of a sudden the 757 passes right in front of us about 800 feet above us. I could see the reg numbers and the people looking out the windows! My instructor and myself call out elpletives at the same moment. No sooner was he there in front of us, he had passed and continued his climb. We braced for wake turbulence, had a little bit of it and it settled down. There was no call to us or the 757. The I don't even think the 757 saw us. My insrtuctor got irrate with the controller about the incident, who was unaware of the close seperation beteewn us and the 757.
After we shot the ILS and shut it down. My instructor went in and called the FAA. That has been the only close call I've had or ever want to experience again.
I had another close call at work before that. We were flying IFR back from SBA to North Island. As we neared SNA, the pilots spotted and a/c at 12 o'clock opposite direction, same altittude. We closed to the other aircraft, with no calls from SOCAL. Our pilots had to dive the helo to avoid a collision. The other aircraft didn't maneuver at all. Our HAC (head aircraft commander) called SOCAL and asked him if he his glasses on and told him that we had to dive to avoid a mid-air. It was a wild ride. The rest of the flight was uneventful
 
Back
Top