Washington (CNN) -- Acting at the apply of an air traffic controller, the pilot of a Southwest Airlines B-737 pulled among one-tenth of a mile of a small, four-seat aircraft final month to check on pilot of the smaller plane, who had not answered to radio calls, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.
The March 27 incident was proclaimed days afterward it happened, when Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt suspended the air traffic controller, for "compromising the safety" of the planes' occupants. But the details unlocked Friday for the premier period show just how close the two planes came.
According to the NTSB, the planes came within 0.1 miles of every other, far closer then the necessitated separation of three miles. They also were separated by 100 feet in altitude, fewer than the 1,000 feet necessitated, the NTSB reported.
The episode occurred 11,000 feet over central Florida, when controllers at the Central Florida TRACON, a local radar facility, were unsuccessful in contacting the pilot of the Cirrus SR22, which was en route to Kissimmee, Florida. The plane had been out of radio adjoin with the Jacksonville Center for more than an hour.
A TRACON controller sought the aid of Southwest Airlines flight 821, which was then 10 miles from the smaller aircraft, querying the Southwest pilot "to offer to verify the condition of the occupants" of the Cirrus, the NTSB said. The Southwest pilot "obliged," and controllers guided the jetliner towards the unresponsive plane. A separate radar coverage was set up and a single frequency was used by a front-line manager who provided directions to the Southwest jet.
When the Southwest spurt was almost five miles from the smaller airplane, the pilot reported seeing the plane visually and above a collision avoidance system. The jet "planned aboard his own aside of" the smaller plane, the NTSB said.
The crew reported seeing "two occupants in the Cirrus and not evident campaign from them" ahead creature vectored away to its Orlando destination.
The FAA said both planes landed safely. Southwest Airlines reported in March namely it had suspended the pilot of the jetliner pending an investigation.
Both the FAA and NTSB are investigating. Neither has issued anyone discoveries or conclusions.
Aviation authorities say the protocol because intercepting unresponsive aircraft namely apt scramble military jets.
"By placing this tourist aircraft in close vicinity to variant plane, the air vehicle master compromised the safety of everybody comprised," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a expression in March.
"This incident was totally inappropriate." "We are reviewing the air traffic programs used here and production sure everyone understands the protocols for contacting unresponsive aircraft,
dre headphones," Babbitt said.
Southwest Airlines said the flight had 137 passengers and a troop of five.
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