Report: Airborne and Ground-Based Collision Avoidance Systems Need Coordination

A recently issued report from Eurocontrol and the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (DETEC) says the interaction and interoperability of ground-based STCA (short term conflict alert) and ACAS (airborne collision avoidance system) need to be addressed.

STCA alerts the air traffic controller of a possible collision, who assesses the situation, determines the best course of action, and gives appropriate instructions to the pilots concerned.  ACAS advises the pilot directly on how to resolve the situation when a risk of collision with another aircraft becomes imminent.

The problem, according to Andrea Muggli, DETEC's civil aviation safety officer, is that "STCA and ACAS have been developed independently as separate technological answers to safety concerns," and their divided actions "have been factors in serious incidents and even accidents."

"Further action is therefore needed in order to make the interaction between these two safety nets more predictable and understandable for all users," said Martin Griffin, Eurocontrol's ATC domain manager.  Mr. Griffin added that while Swiss authorities were the first in Europe to have created awareness of the issue, Eurocontrol will "progress the necessary initiatives without delay."

The report points to training, education and increased awareness - particularly between controllers, pilots, technical personnel and safety and management staff - as being the major areas to improve in the short term. For the longer-term, the report says a strategy should be developed based upon the analysis of additional data.  06-09-2007.

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