ATL87IA020

NTSB incident investigation · Boeing 727-227 · Livingston, TN · November 12, 1986

Incident · No injuriesIncident investigationFinal report
Date
November 12, 1986, 09:33 local (15:33 UTC)
Place
Livingston, TN
Injuries
167 uninjured
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N471BNBoeing 727-227N7014UBoeing 727-22
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Case key
7324

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.

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Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Airframe/component/system failure/malfunctionCruise
Comm/nav equipment,transmitter - undeterminedCause
Near collision between aircraftCruise
Visual lookout - inadequatePilot in commandFactor
Near collision between aircraftCruise
Visual lookout - inadequatePilot in commandFactor

Analysis

The braniff and united Boeing 727 jetliners were approaching 'swapp' intersection on converging jetways at their proper assigned alt of 35,000'. The controller was in the process of issuing radar vectors to assure proper lateral separation when the control freq became blocked. Attempts to override the blocked freq were unsuccessful and the two acft passed with approx 200' vert and zero horz separation. The two flt crews did not see the other acft until the near collision occurred. The initial transmission by the braniff captain following the incident cleared the freq and all comms returned to normal. Both acft landed without further incident. The flt data recorder in the braniff 727 indicated a solid 5 minute event marker of mic 'on' that correlated to the time fo the incident. The braniff crew was not aware of the frequency problem. There were no discrepancies revealed during bench tests performed on the equipment installed in the braniff acft.

The braniff and united Boeing 727 jetliners were approaching 'swapp' intersection on converging jetways at their proper assigned alt of 35,000'. The controller was in the process of issuing radar vectors to assure proper lateral separation when the control freq became blocked. Attempts to override the blocked freq were unsuccessful and the two acft passed with approx 200' vert and zero horz separation. The two flt crews did not see the other acft until the near collision occurred. The initial transmission by the braniff captain following the incident cleared the freq and all comms returned to normal. Both acft landed without further incident. The flt data recorder in the braniff 727 indicated a solid 5 minute event marker of mic 'on' that correlated to the time of the incident. The braniff crew was not aware of the frequency problem. There were no discrepancies revealed during bench tests performed on the equipment installed in the braniff acft.

Aircraft · 2

Registration
N471BN
Reported as
Boeing 727-227
Category
Airplane
Serial number
21669
Airframe hours
16,619
Engine
P&W JT8-9A, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo jet
Damage
No damage
Flight
Part 121
Operator
Braniff Airline, Inc.
Registered owner
James W. Toren-Trustee
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Transport
Departed
LGA · New York, NY
Destination
DFW · Dallas, TX
Flight plan
IFR
Registration
N7014U
Reported as
Boeing 727-22
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18306
Airframe hours
54,668
Engine
P&W JT8D-7, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo jet
Damage
No damage
Flight
Part 121
Registered owner
United Airlines
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Transport
Departed
FMY · Fort Myers, FL
Destination
ORD · Chicago, IL
Flight plan
IFR

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot, aircraft N471BN
Age
56
Certificate
Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Unknown
Seat
Left
Flight hours
15,500 total · 9,200 in this make and model · 3 in the last 24 hours
Role
Pilot, aircraft N7014U
Age
50
Certificate
Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Unknown
Seat
Left
Flight hours
12,942 total · 9,982 in this make and model · 3 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Visibility
50 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
-0 °F, dew point -0 °F