Lost LearJet/767 NMAC at PWK near O'Hare triggers call for the wrong fix

[mikea]

Here it comes:

On a cloud-filled, rainy fall evening last September, a Learjet inexplicably passed its turn for landing at Palwaukee Municipal Airport and sped toward a LOT Polish Airlines 767 set to land at O'Hare.

....

To Joseph Bellino, union chief for O'Hare tower controllers, it underscores a significant and systemic safety problem in the increasingly congested skies around O'Hare.

...

Bellino says the FAA needs to mandate occasional gaps in the long lines of planes landing at or departing from O'Hare to create a safety buffer in case of deadly mistakes by Palwaukee fliers or controllers to the north.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=290746

Only the Lear pilot, who was lost, was operating VFR. The PWK tower has a BRITE display and should have been jumping on the Lear a lot earlier.

Does the proposed "gap" force them to hire more controllers?

Wait 'til they have the slew of VLJs out there.

 

[jesse]

Re: Lost LearJet/747 NMAC at PWK near O'Hare triggers call for the wrong fix

Only the Lear pilot, who was lost, was operating VFR. The PWK tower has a BRITE display and should have been jumping on the Lear a lot earlier.

I suspect the amount of time it would take for a Learjet to blaze past one runway and into another is very short. You also would think the tower controller has a lot going on...Not enough to watch every plane every day on the display to make sure it starts it's turn.

 

[gprellwitz]

Re: Lost LearJet/747 NMAC at PWK near O'Hare triggers call for the wrong fix

I was at an ASF meeting last night at Lewis. (Mike Dreger from Midway was one of the controllers speaking. Good job!) They mentioned that someone flew right over the top of O'Hare this last week at 5,500 VFR! They had to stop all southbound departures!

 

[mikea]

Re: Lost LearJet/747 NMAC at PWK near O'Hare triggers call for the wrong fix

I was at an ASF meeting last night at Lewis. (Mike Dreger from Midway was one of the controllers speaking. Good job!) They mentioned that someone flew right over the top of O'Hare this last week at 5,500 VFR! They had to stop all southbound departures!

Someone? They didn't follow it until it landed?

I always thought that if you just wandered east of Route 53 or as high as 1950 feet at Schaumburg they would hunt you down.

 

[gprellwitz]

Re: Lost LearJet/747 NMAC at PWK near O'Hare triggers call for the wrong fix

Someone? They didn't follow it until it landed?

I always thought that if you just wandered east of Route 53 or as high as 1950 feet at Schaumburg they would hunt you down.

Yes, they followed him. It's just that the controllers at the meeting didn't know any more details. Maybe Mike D. can fill in a few.

 

[mdreger]

Nope, we really don't hear anything about other facilities. I can ask, but don't hold your breath.

PWK is an FAA/NATCA facility, not contract.

 

[mikea]

Nope, we really don't hear anything about other facilities. I can ask, but don't hold your breath.

PWK is an FAA/NATCA facility, not contract.

OK. I'll fix that insult (at least MY insult.)

GYY must be, too. I went a presentation at PWK with the controller from Gary. It was pretty good, besides he had lots of goodies form the Chicago corporate citizens who use GYY now.

 

[mdreger]

GYY, on the other hand, IS a contract tower. Has been for quite a few years, it was city run before that.

 

[tonycondon]

cmon guys you know that airspace. ohares bravo is only like 30 seconds south of PWK in a Lear. VLJs wont change much there, PWK cant fit many more jets in and out of there. Between NetJets and American Flyers that place is at max capacity, IME.

 

[gprellwitz]

OK. I'll fix that insult (at least MY insult.)

GYY must be, too. I went a presentation at PWK with the controller from Gary. It was pretty good, besides he had lots of goodies form the Chicago corporate citizens who use GYY now.

A number of the controllers at GYY used to do a safety seminar in the form of an audience Q&A, and give out some really good prizes. We went to the last one they did in January. And I do mean the last one they did, since they've retired from that activity. It was always informative and entertaining!