VP Cheney's Gulfstream's TCAS sounds alarm, misses other aircraft by less than half a mile

Air Force Two, the US Air Force aircraft carrying Vice President Dick Cheney, was involved in a near miss with a civilian aircraft over the skies of Connecticut a few weeks ago, according to federal officials. The commander of the aircraft was forced to take evasive action after the TCAS system sounded the alarm and commanded a climb to avoid another aircraft. They missed each other by 0.44 horizontally and some 700 feet vertically.

The Vice President was headed to Westchester County Airport in White Plains (NY) on August 7 when the incident took place. Air Force 2 was on a descent from 11,000 to 6,000 feet on approach to the airport. The second aircraft was headed in the opposite direction, east, at 7.300 fet. The controller, a supervisor who had been called in to work overtime, was sitting next to another controller while he worked the traffic. The second controller pointed out the other airplane when Air Force Two reached 8,500 feet, and yelled "Traffic for Air Force Two," according to Dean Iacopelly, the local NATCA chapter president.

Controllers at the NY TRACON in Westbury made a point of informing the media that the controller put in charge of Air Force Two was a supervisor working overtime. They claim that the incident shows that the facility is understaffed and that the FAA is to blame. According to the controllers, the TRACON is authorized for 270 controllers but currently has a staff of only 207.
 
According to Iacopelli, the supervisors only have to work aircraft eight hours each month to remain current. "They only dabble in it," he said. "There is a real staffing crisis here."
 
However, the FAA denies that there is a crisis. "We use overtime to meet staffing needs, particularly in the summer so controllers can take vacation," said FAA spokesperson Arlene Salac. She added that the FAA is in the middle of a staffing study that analyzes the needs of ATC centers across the country.

According to Salac, the supervisor was not at fault. The two aircraft were flying in an airspace where separation rules are not applied and pilots are expected to exercise visual scans. Air Force Two was, at the time, trying to avoid an unidentified aircraft that was not talking to ATC. "The Air Force Two pilot and the controller had the traffic in sight at all times," Salac said.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.whitehouse.gov