Officials Demand Change
It was just the sort of near-accident that would make almost any
experienced pilot wish for a case of adult diapers. A helicopter
flying over the San Diego Freeway in Los Angeles was out of
position according to controllers at LAX. The pilot had wandered
into the approach path of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737. The two
aircraft came within 400 vertical feet and .25 horizontal miles of
colliding when a controller spotted the conflict at the last second
and successfully separated the two. It was indeed a near-tragedy
and it's now prompted the FAA to make some changes in air traffic
management around LAX.
ATC managers logged the incident as pilot error. Still, they
said the controllers performance was less than optimal. At one
point, they say the unnamed controller actually lost track of the
helo.
"It was clearly a pilot error but it was not caught until the
last minute," assistant ATC manager Frank Sweeney told the
Professional Helicopter Pilots Association meeting in Los Angeles
Wednesday night. Sweeney was quoted in the LA Daily Breeze.
Given the huge amount of helicopter traffic in and around the LA
Basin, LAX generally operates a position dedicated to helo traffic.
That position was indeed manned at the time of the near-miss.
While the FAA was less than enthusiastic about the performance
of the controller at that position, NATCA (the controllers' union)
nominated him for an award, citing his quick action in averting the
accident.
"Were it not for the exemplary performance by our helicopter
controller we would likely be discussing a tragic accident instead
of an FAA cover-up," said LAX NATCA rep Mike Foote, also quoted in
the Breeze.
The pilot of the helicopter was reportedly told not to discuss
the incident. ATC tapes indicate he became disoriented shortly
after departing on a trip from Torrence to Santa Monica Airport. He
apparently didn't hear or didn't comprehend controller
instructions. Then he was heard to indicate he was above the San
Diego Freeway with instructions not to exceed 900 feet AGL when he
thought he was following the Harbor Freeway.
"Where are you now, sir?" the controller asked, as heard by the
Breeze on the ATC tape.
"I'm on the 405 Freeway just north of the north (runway)
complex," the pilot replied.
Wrong. At that point, the controller advised the helo pilot to
descend immediately to 500 feet and turn left.
"That's a big mistake because you're in the (final approach
path) now," the controller told him.
The pilot said, "I'm sorry. I sure didn't mean that."
New Procedure
Next month, Sweeney said the LAX Tower will assign transponder
IDs to helicopters -- something they haven't always done in the
past because of the extra work it creates for ATC staffers.
Virtually every helicopter flying through the LAX Class B airspace
will be affected.
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