Created Monday, Jun 14th 2021 13:42Z, last updated Wednesday, Feb 23rd 2022 12:10Z
A KLM Boeing 737-800, registration PH-BXF performing flight
KL-1670 from Barcelona,SP (Spain) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 82 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Barcelona's runway 25L cleared to follow the RNAV1 standard instrument departure OKABI3Q and climb to FL190, when the crew needed to stop the climb at 8700 feet.
A Tecnam P2006 carrying a student pilot and the instructor departing out of Barcelona's Sabadell Airport bound for Castellon,SP (Spain) had been cleared to climb to FL090.
Spain's CIAIAC reported both aircraft came into conflict with the separation reducing to 300 feet vertical and 1.3nm horizontal. PH-BXF needed to stop the climb and descend to avoid the conflict. Air Traffic Controllers had not provide traffic information. There were no injuries and no damage. The CIAIAC have opened an investigation.
ADSB data show the B738 reached 8700 feet and descended to 8100 feet during the encounter about 8nm southwest of Barcelona Airport before continuing to climb.
On Feb 23rd 2022 the CIAIAC released their final report concluding the probable causes of the incident were:
The investigation has determined that the cause of the incident was a loss of situational awareness on the part of the LEBLT23FW sector air traffic controller. The LEBLT14W sector controller, who had transferred the Tecnam P2006T aircraft 9 minutes before the incident, did not think it would enter into conflict with the aircraft in his sector. The LEBLT23FW controller, who was focused on the final sector, did not anticipate that the Tecnam P2006T aircraft would enter into conflict with the aircraft departing from Barcelona Airport.
The CIAIAC summarized the sequence of events:
At the time of the incident, the Boeing 737-800W aircraft was climbing through 8,640 ft to flight level FL190, and the Tecnam P2006T was maintaining FL090.
Both aircraft were in radio contact with ATC but on different frequencies. The Tecnam P2006T aircraft with registration EC-MNG was in contact with the LEBLT23FW sector controller, and the Boeing 737-800W aircraft with registration PH-BXF was in contact with the LEBLT14W sector controller. The controllers did not give instructions to the aircraft in order to reduce the risk of AIRPROX between them.
The Boeing 737-800W aircraft, registration PH -BXF, received an RA warning from the TCAS system and had to stop climbing and descend to avoid the conflict. The separation between the aircraft at the time of the TCAS RA warning was 1.52 NM and 350 ft.
The investigation has determined that the cause of the incident was a loss of situational awareness on the part of the LEBLT23FW sector controller. The LEBLT14W sector controller, who had transferred the Tecnam P2006T aircraft 9 minutes before the incident, did not think it would conflict with the aircraft in his sector. The LEBLT23FW controller, who was focused on the final sector, did not anticipate that the Tecnam P2006T aircraft would conflict with the aircraft taking off from Barcelona Airport.
The analysis mainly focusses on the performance of the two controllers involved and the presentation of the targets on their screens, however, contains one more than puzzling, if not alarming sentence "he allowed the crew to continue following the Resolution Advisory procedures":
According to ENAIRE's procedures, once the KLM22B aircraft was departed; crew contacted the LEBLT14W sector controller despite the fact that part of the SID takes place in the LEBLT23FW sector’s airspace. The controller instructed the KLM22B aircraft to climb to FL190 and, once at 6,000 ft, proceed directly to the OKABI waypoint without passing through the BL055 waypoint, forgetting about the presence of the Tecnam P2006T aircraft with registration EC-MNG. He remained unaware of the imminent loss of separation between the two aircraft until the STCA-VAC alarm active. After the activation, the controller started to inform the KLM22B aircraft about the traffic, but given the proximity between both aircraft, he allowed the crew to continue following the Resolution Advisory procedures.
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