ATCO remonstrates with pilot over good airmanship?
A few days ago my colleague felt obliged to put out a radio call to prevent what he saw was a potential mid-air collision. For his trouble he was berated by ATC by r/t. The debate continued on the ground by telephone.
Anyone care to pass professional comment? (No names, no pack drill, and I do NOT wish to start an "us versus them" debate).
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The circumstances were as follows.
We were cruise flight, open UK FIR, VMC, but under radar info. The airspace was "busy", as the weather was good.
We were clear above but on a similar, but gently converging track, to a light aircraft ** off our stbd side. We had been visual with ** for some time. We had listened to his r/t for about ten minutes or so as he called the previous airfield ahead of us. We were certain we knew his callsign and had a positive ID on him from his position reports etc.
Both aircraft then changed to the agency in question in close succession. It became obvious from his R/T that he was going to turn left under us, no problem with our good height separation; we were both in level flight.
As we caught up with **, my colleague, who was the handling pilot and captain, continued to keep an eye on him below us and off to our right.
As I began to lose sight of ** beneath us, I spotted a TCAS target off to our 1 o'clock, converging quickly. We quickly got a visual ident on a light single. It was below and not an immediate threat to us; however it WAS an obvious threat to ** because it looked to be at the same altitude as he.
My colleague watched them rapidly converge, saying to me "that is going to be close!"
A few seconds later, as neither aircraft had apparently seen the other, and no advice was given by ATC to **, he put out an R/T call to the effect of: "** - look in your twelve o'clock, there is conficting traffic".
Seconds later both aircraft rolled on quite a lot of bank to avoid each other, passing very close.
ATC then berated my colleague who was just thinking he had done the correct thing. He was told in no uncertain terms that giving an ATC service was not on and potentially dangerous. The 2-way was became a little unprofessional and ATCO asked my colleague to telephone after we landed, which he did.
In the circumstances I fully support my colleague; but he and the ATCO had to "agree to disagree".
While I understand where the ATCO was coming from about pilots not trying to "provide an ATC service", as he put it, it just ain't possible to watch fellow pilots going to their possible doom and say nowt.
NO avoiding action was offered, just a call to get his (**'s) eyes out of the cockpit.
Orderly debate only please.
ShyT