FAA says near-collision over Eagan caused by air traffic control errors

Airline Industry Information, June 4, 2001

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a report into a near-collision between two Northwest Airlines aircraft in March that says the incident was caused by air traffic controller errors.

The two aircraft, which together were carrying 195 passengers and crew, came within 100 feet to one-quarter mile of each other over Eagan during heavy snow and fog on 12 March. The aircraft were travelling at over 250 miles per hour. The report suggested that hand-overs between air traffic controllers as the aircraft moved between sectors were phased incorrectly and poorly timed. An air traffic controller in the Twin Cities has been temporarily suspended from duties in order to undergo retraining and the FAA also indicated that new procedural changes were being introduced at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, according to The Associated Press.

The report also said that problems had arisen because of faulty instructions the pilots were given from on-board crash avoidance computers, which had activated during the incident.

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