Safety Device Prevents Mid-Air Collision

FAA Says Pilots Executed An Emergency Climb To Avoid Colliding 25,000 Feet Over Indiana

(AP)  A cockpit safety device is credited with helping pilots avoid a mid-air collision at 25,000 feet over Indiana.

According to a preliminary investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, the planes came within seconds of colliding because of an error by an air traffic controller.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory says the Tuesday evening incident happened amid a shift change during a busy time at the Chicago Center radar facility in Aurora.

Officials say that controller directed a Midwest Airlines plane flying east from Milwaukee into the path of a United Express jet heading west out of Greensboro, North Carolina.

The collision-avoidance device in the Midwest plane went off, and an airline spokeswoman says the pilots executed an emergency climb to get out of the way.

[kesac4650]

It is called TCAS, Terminal Collision Avoidance System, and it has been required for years.

[primgal48]

What''s scary is I didn''t know anything about this until a family member in Florida called and told us.Nothing around where I lived is being told..this happened over Fort Wayne and I live 15 min from there..now THAT is TOO close for comfort..and my daughter works at the mall..

[etcmoore-2009]

Blaming Republicans for this is like saying the war in Iraq is the fault of Democrats because of Jimmy Carters foreign policy. -- Ridiculous --

This was caused by neglect by both parties and the refusal of the airlines/FAA to update antiquated systems.

[godseyesore-2009]

One has to wonder why this hasn''t been required in aircraft for years?
US obviously has technical skill to have done so...hey, we put men on moon in 60''s!
This is just like stupid low gas mileage requirements for cars...''head in sand'' republican politics.

[incog-nito]

These days with advances in GPS technology it''s hard to believe we still rely on WWII technology like ground radar and somebody on the ground to direct air traffic.

[ov442]

What do they do to doctors when they operate on the wrong limb? or misdiagnose a woman as having breast cancer and do a mastectomy when she didnt have it?
Doctors are supposed to be perfect at all times, and so are Air Traffic Controllers.
Period.

[undermyboot]

It''s what you get when the feds under Reagan eviscerated the Flight Controller union so they could hire cheap labor at 1/2 the wages and twice the work load. Like everything - you get what you pay for. The NASA report they attempted to bury, the recent TN "wrong runway" accident, the near collisions at airports, and this recent example show we are at greater risk every day when we fly.

[nlm2383]

The person that gave the incorrect directions should be fired... Those passengers should be happy to know they had a smart pilot, they got really lucky.

[toolmangler-2009]

I am glad that something finally worked like it was designed to, its about time.