# NTSB OPS12IA535: Las Vegas, NV, April 27, 2012 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: April 27, 2012, 18:25 UTC - Place: Las Vegas, NV - Coordinates: 36.079193, -115.13961 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0792&lon=-115.1396&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Near midair/TCAS alert/loss of separation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/260) - Highest injury: No injuries - Status: Completed, report March 13, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Operational Factors Division - NTSB case key (mKey): 83518 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=OPS12IA535 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/83518/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83518 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/OPS12IA535 ## Probable cause Federal Aviation Administration procedures that do not ensure separation in the event of a go-around during simultaneous independent runway operations on runways that do not physically intersect but whose flight paths intersect. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Policy/procedure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04021000): Organizational issues › Management · Airport (probable cause) - [Policy/procedure: adequacy of policy/proc](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04021015): Organizational issues › Management · ATC (probable cause) ## Analysis The flight crew of an Airbus A320, operated by an air carrier, was conducting a visual approach to runway 25L while a Learjet 60 (LR60) was simultaneously cleared for takeoff from runway 19L. The pilot of the A320 elected to execute a go-around and came into hazardous proximity with the LR60 as it departed runway 19L. After the pilot of the A320 executed the go-around, neither local controller was able to provide control instructions to separate the two aircraft. The closest proximity of the two aircraft was approximately 0.3 nautical miles laterally and 100 feet vertically. The two aircraft were being controlled by different tower controllers, who were simultaneously routing aircraft to land on runway 25L and to depart from runway 19L--nonintersecting, converging runways whose flight paths intersect. This procedure was not prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and there were no FAA-prescribed separation minima or procedures for air traffic controllers to follow when conducting simultaneous independent converging runway operations in the event a pilot elected to execute a go-around. This resulted in the aircraft going around coming into close proximity with the departure aircraft where the flight paths intersected. ## Factual narrative On April 26, 2012, at 1225, two aircraft came within hazardous proximity of one another at McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas, Nevada, when JBU483, an Airbus Industries A320 arriving at LAS from General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts, initiated a go around from runway 25L and came into hazardous proximity of XARAV, a Mexican-registered Bombardier Lear Jet 60 (LR60) departing runway 19L. JBU483 made an evasive turn to the left and XARAV initiated a rapid climb. The aircraft came within 0.30 nautical miles laterally and 100’ vertically where the runway flight paths intersected off the departure ends of runway 19L and runway 25L. Both aircraft were under control of two different LAS ATCT local controllers at the time of the incident. There was no damage reported to either aircraft, or any injuries to passengers or crew. JBU483 was an Airbus Industries A320 scheduled 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 passenger flight operating from Boston Logan International Airport to Las Vegas, Nevada. The flight was on a visual approach to runway 25L at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. XARAV was a non-scheduled 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight operating from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. For further information, see the Air Traffic Control Group Chairman's Report in the docket for this case. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-aborted after touchdown: Air traffic event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/100) - [Initial climb: Near midair/TCAS alert/loss of separation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/260) (defining event) ## Aircraft - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Registered owner: Jet Blue Airway Corporation - Departed: BOS, Boston, MA - Destination: Las Vegas, NV - Flight plan: IFR ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 19 knots, gusting 26 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 9,500 ft broken - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 29.77 inHg - Observed at: KLAS ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 1, 2013, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83518. 1.1 MB in all. - ATC 3 - LAS Wind Reporting Procedures (item 1, .PDF, 33 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40381948&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%203%20-%20LAS%20Wind%20Reporting%20Procedures-Master.PDF - ATC 3 - 4-35 LCI, LC2 and LC3 CONTROL RESPONSIBILITIES (item 2, .PDF, 68 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40387746&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%203%20-%204-35%20LCI,%20LC2%20and%20LC3%20CONTROL%20RESPONSIBILITIES-Master.PDF - ATC 3 - Radar plot graphic with radio communications added. (item 3, .PDF, 345 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40387747&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%203%20-%20Radar%20plot%20graphic%20with%20radio%20communications%20added.-Master.PDF - ATC 3 - Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 4, .PDF, 649 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40387960&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=ATC%203%20-%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.