Jet dives to avoid another plane; 4 are hurt
By KEN LEISER
Post-Dispatch
09/17/2003
At least four people were injured Tuesday when the crew of an American Airlines MD-80 took evasive action to avoid at least one other plane in the airspace just west of Tulsa, Okla.
There were 90 people on board American Airlines flight 490 from Oklahoma City to St. Louis when the plane's collision avoidance system warned of heavy traffic in the area and then ordered the crew to descend immediately, airline officials said.
The plane later landed without incident at Lambert Field about 3:50 p.m. But three flight attendants and one passenger, who wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident, requested medical attention.
Airline spokeswoman Julia Bishop-Cross said the captain told her that the plane's Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System had warned the crew initially of heavy traffic. A short time later, the cockpit system ordered an immediate descent.
The captain told Bishop-Cross that he saw four military jets in the area after he made the 50- to 100-foot descent. It was not immediately known how close the planes were.
The collision-avoidance system operates independently of air traffic control on the ground and is considered a last line of defense against mid-air collisions. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the incident was under investigation.
50-100 ft to avoid another plane???? Sounds like another distorter being confused.
