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Israel - El Al Plane Over the Red Sea Came Within 700 Feet of Other Plane |
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air traffic controllers
The Israeli plane carrying 200 passengers was en route to the Far East when it received permission from air traffic controllers in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, to enter an international air lane.
However, the controllers neglected to tell the El Al plane how close it would be to another aircraft.
The polits flying the Israeli plane, a Boeing 767, were alerted to the danger by the plane's Total Access Communications System when they were only 700 feet from the other plane, and changed course to avoid a collision.
"The junction of the Red Sea flight corridor and the African air lanes is very problematic," said Lior Yavor, El Al's Senior Vice President of Operations. "El Al asked the Transportation Ministry to take care of the issue through official channels to reduce chances of a conflict. The transportation minister has taken action and the incident is being handled by the chief air accident investigator, Yitzhak Raz."
Flights from Israel to the Far East have to fly south over the Red Sea before turning east, because they cannot fly over most Arab countries.
The area near the Gulf of Eden is particularly dangerous because it is not covered by radar, and plane locations are reported solely by radio.
All El Al planes are equipped with TACS, which warns pilots when an unidentified aircraft is within 19 kilometers.
In 1998 the Israeli company was among the first in the world to furnish all of its planes with the technology, at a cost of NIS 5 million, three years before it became mandatory.
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Read Comments (16) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 05, 2009 at 07:46 PM Anonymous Says:
lets not forget some blame is being placed on african air controllers for not payong close enough to the air france flight when it got in trouble.
2
Jul 05, 2009 at 07:26 PM thekvetcher Says:
Nebach, they fly the same way they drive.
3
Jul 05, 2009 at 07:23 PM clever Says:
wow l8ly u hear so much stories with smaller planes... bh nothing happened... I'm not though m'kaneh the passengers.. it mustve been some scare seeing a other plane right nxt 2 them.. hashem should watch & 'heet' every1!
4
Jul 05, 2009 at 08:06 PM Anonymous Says:
“ wow l8ly u hear so much stories with smaller planes... bh nothing happened... I'm not though m'kaneh the passengers.. it mustve been some scare seeing a other plane right nxt 2 them.. hashem should watch & 'heet' every1! ”
Why do you wish that hashem "heet" all the el al passengers??? Are you such a soneh yisroel that you would post such a wish for the passengers, most of whom are yidden??
5
Jul 05, 2009 at 08:32 PM ZR Says:
“ Why do you wish that hashem "heet" all the el al passengers??? Are you such a soneh yisroel that you would post such a wish for the passengers, most of whom are yidden?? ”
You obviously don't understand Yiddish.
6
Jul 05, 2009 at 08:53 PM Anonymous Says:
“ You obviously don't understand Yiddish. ”
I do speak and understand yiddish and there is no such word as "heet"
7
Jul 05, 2009 at 08:52 PM Anonymous Says:
“ Why do you wish that hashem "heet" all the el al passengers??? Are you such a soneh yisroel that you would post such a wish for the passengers, most of whom are yidden?? ”
heet means protect in yidish.
der Aibishter zol inz aibig upheeten. amen!
8
Jul 05, 2009 at 09:17 PM Bunimfrombrooklyn Says:
“ Nebach, they fly the same way they drive. ”
Although your funny and crack me up
1: you refer to Israelis as "they", that's nice of you , after all they are your brothers.
2: why don't you just learn the facts that all elal pilots have to have been previously IDF former pilots which if you know how hard it is to be an IDF pilot you'd know that the elal pilots are probably from the best pilots in the world.
9
Jul 05, 2009 at 09:55 PM ZR Says:
“ Although your funny and crack me up
1: you refer to Israelis as "they", that's nice of you , after all they are your brothers.
2: why don't you just learn the facts that all elal pilots have to have been previously IDF former pilots which if you know how hard it is to be an IDF pilot you'd know that the elal pilots are probably from the best pilots in the world. ”
Another fact he should learn is that Israel has one of the LOWEST road fatalities per capita in the world.
10
Jul 05, 2009 at 10:09 PM American Express Says:
“ Another fact he should learn is that Israel has one of the LOWEST road fatalities per capita in the world. ”
Than why is Israel one of just three countries in the world that they don't cover the free rental insurance that you get with Amex all over the rest of the world??
11
Jul 05, 2009 at 10:59 PM ZR Says:
“ Than why is Israel one of just three countries in the world that they don't cover the free rental insurance that you get with Amex all over the rest of the world?? ”
I am not going to answer for the policy of some insurance business.
Go to wiki and notice Israel is one of the best countries per capita. Notice also that the US is way down the bottom of the list of the OECD countries.
12
Jul 05, 2009 at 11:14 PM clever Says:
“ Why do you wish that hashem "heet" all the el al passengers??? Are you such a soneh yisroel that you would post such a wish for the passengers, most of whom are yidden?? ”
sorry donno ur prob. that was a bracha I said "heet" is yidish in english u call it "protect" hashem should PROTECT
13
Jul 06, 2009 at 07:58 AM Jimmy37 Says:
A terrorist organization can try to bring down an El Al flight by merely taking over a tower and giving out false instructions. The pilots need to pay more attention to their radar and use the controllers' instructions as advice.
14
Jul 06, 2009 at 09:55 AM anonymous Says:
Maybe the Eritrean air controller purposely gave false instruction
15
Jul 06, 2009 at 09:22 AM Pilot Says:
“ A terrorist organization can try to bring down an El Al flight by merely taking over a tower and giving out false instructions. The pilots need to pay more attention to their radar and use the controllers' instructions as advice. ”
Sorry, Jimmy, but it does not work like that.
The aircraft or this sort must follow the assigned flight plan as modified by instructions from Air Traffic Control.
Failing to do so could cause the "assumption" that there is a "problem" on the plane, like a terrorist, etc., and put the plane at much more risk than the remote chance of collision.
Also, the aircraft's online radar tells the plane the location of other craft, but not their "intention" ... that is known by the controllers.
The intended route of the other aircraft is just as important as knowing where they are. An aircraft 1,500 feet away about to turn AWAY from you is not a problem.
An aircraft 2,500 feet away about to turn TOWARDS you IS A MAJOR THREAT.
If you relied on your own radar, and did not know the INTENTION of the other pilots, you and another guy who are 2,000 feet apart can both turn TOWARDS each other!
Sure, when the sky is clear, and if you are not distracted, you usually can still avoid trouble. But, add in some clouds, and pilots busy in with other work, and you have a real "near miss."
Following controllers instructions ARE of utmost importance. If everyone does this, then 700 separation is not even a problem. We just like more room for extra safety.
Remember, we often land simultaneously on parallel runways which are fairly close together. I have often been closer than 700 from another landing aircraft in such a situation. Not a problem. ... AS LONG AS WE BOTH KNOW WHAT THE OTHER IS DOING.
Sure, we do not like to find out that controller error caused us to be only 700 ft from another aircraft, but it is nowhere the danger it would be as compared to someone making his/her own decisions.
VFR flying is different. When I fly a private plane under Visual Flight Rules, I do not file a flight plan if I do not wish to. That means nobody knows my intention. That also means controllers will tell other aircraft where I am, and tell them they do not know my intentions and they will try for more separation.
But, All Y'all, don't get your underwear in such an uproar over this. It is no biggie. If you are expecting 100% perfection from pilots and controllers, then you are in a fairy tale, not reality. That is why we have all those extra precautions, like greater separation, etc., If no mistakes ever happened, we could always fly within a few hundred feet of each other.
Oh, the other thing controllers help you avoid is the turbulence left behind other aircraft. You do not want to fly directly through this crap. It will not be painted there on your radar for you to see. Controllers who not only know where aircraft are, but where they just were, can help keep you out of that.
And, yes, "heet" means PROTECT or watch over...
May der Eibishter ins upheeten.
16
Jul 06, 2009 at 10:42 AM Says:
“ Another fact he should learn is that Israel has one of the LOWEST road fatalities per capita in the world. ”
Yes, because we are actually still fairly polite and yield to others most of the time. I saw more traffic devastation and suffered it myself in Tampa Fl. When we made aliyah 20 years ago all you had to do was turn in your foreign drivers lic. to get an Israeli one. Once they figured out the Russians were bringing in forged ones and didn't have a clue about good driving, they started requiring new immigrants to take lessons and road tests.
One other point. Many of these accidents if they involve Arab drivers are actually terrorism.
Also #8 I would never fly anything but ELAL.
Could this have been deliberate on the part of the Eritreans? Terrorism doesn't always have to be with bombs.