# Incident 20110809028179I: Boeing 737-3H4, Mcrae, GA, August 9, 2011

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 9, 2011, 21:43 local time
- Place: Mcrae, GA
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: SWAA
- Location: 32.0680° N, 82.9007° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of McRae, GA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.0680&lon=-82.9007&mi=10
- Aircraft: N390SW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N390SW-2018-02-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Boeing 737-3H4 (registry code 138447K, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-3h4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: CFM International CFM56 series (registry code 13802, https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 737-3H4
- Reported engine: CFM INTL. CFM56 SERIES
- People aboard: 0
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 13,345 total, 13,345 in this make and model, 136 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110809028179I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

SWA 261 WAS LEVEL AT F330, EN ROUTE FROM JAX TO BNA. THE PILOT REQUESTED F360. ATL CENTER CLEARED SWA 261 TO CLIMB AND MAINTAIN F340. THE READ BACK WAS CORRECT. APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS LATER, THE PILOT OF SWA 261 ADVISED THEY WERE RESPONDING TO A TCAS RA FOR TRAFFIC OFF THEIR LEFT WING. THE OTHER AIRCRAFT WAS TRS 793, NORTHEAST BOUND AT F350. SWA 261 REACHED F348 BEFORE RETURNING TO F340. SEPARATION WAS LOST WITH TRS 793. TRS 793 ALSO INITIATED A CLIMB IN RESPONSE TO A TCAS RA AND CLIMBED TO F353. THE CLOSET PROXIMITY WAS 1.56 MILES AND 500 FT.THE SWA PILOT ASAP INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TCAS RA WAS CAUSED BY SWA 261 CLIMBING ABOVE ITS ASSIGNED ALTITUDE OF F340. THE CA ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AUTOMATION TO ACHIEVE A CLIMB RATE IN EXCESS OF 2,500 FT PER MINUTE EVEN THOUGH THE CLEARANCE WAS TO CLIMB FROM F330 TO F340. IN ADDITION, THE PILOT RESPONDED INCORRECTLY TO THE TCAS RA, MISINTERPRETING THE ADJUST VERTICAL SPEED COMMAND AS A CLIMB COMMAND. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS CONFUSED BY THE COCKPIT PRESENTATION OF THE TCAS RA IN THIS OLDER MODEL B-737-3H4. HE SAID HE HAD RECENTLY BEEN FLYING THE NEWER MODEL B-737-7H4 WITH THE PFD/ND COCKPIT DISPLAY.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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