Airprox Serious incident General Dynamics F-16 , Wednesday 1 December 2021

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Date:	Wednesday 1 December 2021
Time:	06:52
Type:	General Dynamics F-16
Owner/operator:	Pakistan Air Force (PAF)
Registration:
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	45 nm East of position Rahim Yar Khan (RK) - Pakistan
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	PAF Base Shahbaz
Destination airport:	PAF Base Shahbaz
Investigating agency:	BASI Pakistan

Narrative:
Kuwait Airways flight KU920, a Boeing 777-369ER (9K-AOE), was involved in a serious airprox incident with a Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter jet.

KAC920 was in cruise on ATS route G452 maintaining FL340. At 06:52, when KAC920 was approximately 45 Nautical Miles (NM) East of position Rahim Yar Khan (RK), it reported a Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) – Resolution Advisory (RA) and initiated RA
climb from FL340 to FL348.
Two F-16 military aircraft from PAF Base Shahbaz, Jacobabad were operating East of ‘RK’ at coordinated levels between FL260 and FL200. One of the military aircraft squawking A4372 was observed 3 NM North of ‘RK’ at FL245 in
climbing phase and subsequently disappeared from the radar display.
After some time, same Military aircraft squawking A4372 reappeared on radar display at position 18 NM East of ‘RK’ and 20 NM reciprocal to KAC920 climbing out of FL262 with high Rate of Climb (ROC), approximately 6,000 feet/minute. The military aircraft crossed KAC920 at 9 o’clock, approximately 2 NM at FL334, which resulted in activation of TCAS – RA of KAC920.

Cause
Activation of TCAS – RA (MAC – Mid Air Collision) due to an abrupt change in the altitude of a military aircraft.

Contributory Factors
1. There was a lack of coordination and information sharing between military ATC and SOC South with civil ATC Controller.
2. SOC allotted levels above the coordinated height band (FL260 - FL200) to fighters, without intimation and coordination with ACC Lahore Controller.
3. Neither PAF Base Shahbaz Controller nor civil Controller took timely action by giving call on emergency frequency to fighters, which might have avoided the incident.

Accident investigation: