ATC technology is to be overhauled after a near collision between two large passenger jets.A mix-up at the Swanwick control centre in Hampshire put a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 and a Delta Airlines Boeing 767 on a collision course over Wales in 2002, it has been revealed.
Computer Weekly said an upgrade to Swanwick software will be made next month by National Air Traffic Services.
By: grahamskipton - 21st January 2004 at 02:48
Do you think I could tender for the contract of writing the new software for them 😀
G.
By: EAL_KING - 20th January 2004 at 19:25
New air software after near miss
A near miss between two planes ‘prompted a software upgrade’
Computer systems which direct Britain’s air traffic are to be changed after a near-miss between two passenger planes over Wales, according to reports.
A mix-up at the national air traffic control centre at Swanwick in Hampshire put the two jets on a collision course in October 2002, Computer Weekly said.
A cockpit collision avoidance system alerted the Virgin pilot to the danger and he lifted his plane clear.
Air traffic control bosses said new software will be in place next month.
‘High’ risk
Computer Weekly said the changes were prompted by the near-miss 15 months ago, between a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 and a Delta Airlines Boeing 767.
It said the controller thought his instructions to the pilots of the aircraft would direct the planes away from each other.
The confusion could not repeat and we have now strengthened that by going through this process with the software change
Paul Louden
Swanwick manager
But the opposite happened, because he had mistakenly transposed identifying data on the positions of the two aircraft.
As he tried to force the jets apart he brought them closer together, the magazine said.
The publication added that the pilot of the Virgin plane, flying into Heathrow from New York, assessed the risk of a collision with the Boeing 767 as “high”.
At one point, the Virgin plane was just 100 ft above the 767 and separated laterally by 1.8 nautical miles – in breach of the legal minimum distance between aircraft.
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) – which manages the skies above Britain – brought in new procedures after the near-miss, Computer Weekly said.
‘No repeat’
Nats said that software changes would be made next month following “an extensive design and test programme”.
The general manager at Swanwick, Paul Louden, told BBC Radio Five Live the near-miss happened when a controller became confused about the position of the two planes.
He said changes had been made immediately after the incident to make sure that there could be no repeat.
“We have set in train a procdeural system so that actually the confusion could not repeat and we have now strengthened that by going through this process with the software change.”
By: Mark L - 20th January 2004 at 19:16
Ocurred 15 months ago!
By: MINIDOH - 20th January 2004 at 19:12
Was that today (the 20th)? Any more info?
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January 20, 2004 at 3:55 pm