UK Newspaper reports AA951 nearly collides with US Military cargo plane - 20 Jan 2011

American Airlines flight 951 was en route to Sao Paulo, Brazil, about 10:30 pm on January 20 when a warning system alerted pilots to an impending collision with the two U.S. Air Force C-17s, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement.
American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said the Boeing 777-200, carrying 247 passengers and 12 crew members, was less than a mile from the two planes.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353925/American-Airlines-passenger-jet-nearly-collides-military-cargo-planes.html#ixzz1D6DV1Woe​

 

Scary.

 

It would be scary if you believe the newspaper report. I have become highly skeptical of newspapers, because every time they report on something that I have independent knowledge of, they get it all wrong, don't even come close. As an example, if the planes were within a mile of each other, but had 500 feet of vertical separation, there was no real chance of a collision.

 

The New York Times has further information on the story - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/nyregion/05planes.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

The airliner, a Boeing 777, was under the control of one Federal Aviation Administration air-traffic controller, and the two military planes were under the jurisdiction of another, but the three planes were near a boundary that divided the two controllers’ airspace, according to the aviation agency, which is also investigating.

 

I suspect this happens far too frequently, but that the systems designed to prevent a collision worked as expected.

 

Doe the C-17s also have TCAS installed?
Presumably yes?

 

I don't know. News articles like the one below are quoting a spokeswoman from the NTSB as saying she doesn't know and that the Air Force didn't respond to inquiries.

http://www.longislandpress.com/2011...controllers-eyed-after-near-midair-collision/

 

From the New York Times article: "The board offered only basic information; it said the planes came within a mile of each other, but did not specify their difference in altitude." Thanks for not getting the relevant information - altitude separation makes all the difference.

 

I don't get it. Is there something wrong with being "near a boundary," as long as you're not on the wrong side of it? It just sounds like needless sensationalism.

 

Sounds like that to me too, in the absence of further information.

 

I was on that flight. I kind notice that the aircraft was taking a lot of manuevers after the first hour, I even thought it was the co-pilot trying to adjust the B777 to it's course, I almost had a heart attack when I read this news!!!

 

Hi, Eloy Fonseca Neto. Welcome to MP. I wouldn't get too upset yet - news organizations have a vested interest in making things newsworthy, so sometimes things get blown out of proportion. If it was really as bad as the article made it sound, we will hear more.