"TCAS RA" Call
Can someone explain the logic of making a "TCAS RA" call to ATC during a TCAS recovery?
A TCAS RA manoeuvre is a short time, high workload recovery. The PNF/PM should be giving his full monitoring capacity to ensure the PF is flying the TCAS RA recovery accurately. During the TCAS RA recovery the TCAS is the Air Traffic Controller, and all intructions from ATC must be ignored.
A call to ATC of "TCAS RA" is potentially dangerous, as it degradres the monitoring capacity of the PNF, may distract the PF and may invite a clearance from the ground controller which conflicts with the TCAS clearance. Confusion may result.
A safer and better procedure would be for radio silence during the TCAS RA manoeuvre, and a call made to ATC made only after the "Clear of Conflict" aural. This will ensure that both pilots can give their undivided attention to perform the TCAS RA manoeuvre accurately and without any unnecessary distractions.