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PP
Tuesday December 18, 07:54 PM
Air controller error sparked near-miss
A distracted air traffic controller's data error led to a near-miss between two aircraft south-west of Sydney airport, an incident report has found.
The lapse affected a Boeing 737-8FE from Melbourne that was descending to Sydney airport on April 4 and an Airbus A330-342X departing for Hong Kong.
In a report released on Tuesday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the two aircraft came within 1.9 nautical miles (3.52km) of each other and were just 600 feet (182.88m) apart.
Air safety standards require aircraft to be separated by three nautical miles (5.56km) and 1,000 feet (304.8m).
The report found the air traffic controller responsible for the planes had just come on duty and was distracted and changing the personal settings on his Air Situation Display (ASD) console.
He entered an incorrect radar data tag showing the cleared flight level for one of the aircraft.
"The displayed cleared flight level (CFL) differed from the level assigned to the B737 by the controller," the report said.
"That assigned level was being used for separation by another air traffic controller."
The error was spotted just before an alert on the console was activated and controllers took action to avert a collision.
The situation was further complicated by bad weather, which had forced changes in flight paths.
"The investigation concluded that this data entry error occurred within two minutes of the air traffic controller assuming responsibility for the control position," the report said.
"The reconfiguration of the in-use console by the controller during that time increased the risk of the controller being distracted from the traffic separation task."
The report found that adjusting personal settings on the ASD consoles was not part of official handover procedures.
It was not an "isolated occurrence" for controllers to adjust the settings while directing aircraft, the report said.
Airservices Australia is reviewing the handover procedures in the wake of the incident.