In most cases, the minimum vertical separation between aircraft in flight is 1,000 feet (300 meters), but this may vary depending on the dimensions of the aircraft.
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) will investigate the circumstances that led two planes with passengers staying just 22 meters from each other, on the morning of this Thursday, 30at Congonhas Airport, in the south of São Paulo. Unable to contact the plane that was taking off, the airport control tower ordered the plane that was descending at the airport to make a move to avoid a possible accident.
The aeronautical incident involved a Embraer 195-E2 from Azul Linhas Aéreas and a Boeing 737-800 from Gol Linhas Aéreas. The Gol Boeing was flying G31629 from Salvador (BA) and was approaching for landing. The Azul aircraft was in a takeoff maneuver bound for Belo Horizonte (MG).
The FAB will analyze images and reports to determine whether there was a loss of separation – when two aircraft are at a distance below the minimum distance determined by the Air Traffic Control Department (Decea).
According to the FAB, the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa) was called to carry out the initial action in the incident, involving the two aircraft in Congonhas. According to the agency, this stage includes collecting and validating data, preserving evidence and gathering information necessary for the investigation.
According to Decea, in most cases, the Minimum vertical separation between aircraft in flight is 1,000 feet (300 meters), but there may be variation depending on the dimensions of the aircraft.
Data from Flightradar24, a global real-time flight tracking service, recorded the proximity between the two aircraft. Passengers also recorded the approach between the planes on video.
Images from the Golf Oscar Romeo YouTube channel show that the communication between the flight controller and the pilots was tense. Records indicate that the Azul aircraft took a while to begin its takeoff run, just as the other aircraft was approaching the airport to land. Following protocol, the controller ordered the Azul aircraft to abort takeoff, but there was no response from the crew and the aircraft continued the ascent process.
After a new determination with no response, the controller asked the Gol plane to proceed with the go-around, that is, gain height to make another safe landing attempt. As the Azul plane continued to take off, the tower asked the crew to make a right turn to remain at 1,500 feet (450 meters).
For aviation specialist Lito Sousa, the The flight controller’s action prevented the case from evolving into a more serious incident. “There was no loss of situational awareness by the flight controller at any time,” he said in a post on his Instagram page. “The crew of the Azul flight responded to the tower’s determination and, when it started, a lot of time had already passed, so the controller tried to abort the takeoff”
According to him, the flight security is done through layers that are redundant, that is, if one fails, the other supplies it. The first layer of security failed, which was the failure in communication with the Azul crew, but three other layers, involving communication between the tower, the Gol crew and the probable activation of the two aircraft’s anti-collision devices worked properly, according to him.
Sousa says that, in fact, The two aircraft were separated much less than expected during landing and takeoff. “In the end, nothing happened, the multiple layers of protection worked as they should and, as is customary in aviation, the episode must be investigated to understand all the contributing factors and continue to further improve the processes,” he stated.
Azul reported that flight AD6408 (Congonhas-Confins) this Thursday followed the expected operational procedures for takeoff from São Paulo airport. The company reinforced that safety is its primary value, and that its operations are conducted in accordance with current protocols and regulations. “Azul is available to collaborate with Cenipa – Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, which is investigating what happened,” he said.
Gol clarified that the landing of flight G3 1629 at Congonhas Airport, on the 30th, occurred safelywithin the scheduled time and reinforced that the actions regarding the flight were taken with a focus on safety, the company’s number 1 value. Gol highlighted that it fully collaborates with Cenipa in investigating the fact.
