Airprox Serious incident Boeing 777-31HER A6-EPS, Tuesday 7 January 2020

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Date:	Tuesday 7 January 2020
Time:	07:48 UTC
Type:	Boeing 777-31HER
Owner/operator:	Emirates
Registration:	A6-EPS
MSN:	42338/1433
Year of manufacture:	2016
Engine model:	General Electric GE90-115B
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 372
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	near Nawabshah - Pakistan
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Dubai Airport (DXB/OMDB)
Destination airport:	Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL/VIDP)
Investigating agency:	AAIB Pakistan
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Pakistan International Airlines flight PK301, a Boeing 777-240LR (AP-BGY), and Emirates flight EK516, a Boeing 777-300ER (A6-EPS), were involved in a serious airprox incident.

PIA301 was on ATS route Islamabad – Hangu – Nawabshah (NH) – Karachi. PIA301 was cleared to descend from FL400 to FL180 on pilot discretion by Area Radar Controller East Karachi. After few minutes Area Radar Controller East realized the close proximity of a reciprocal traffic Emirates flight UAE516, which was in cruise at FL350. The controller tried to take evasive action by assigning radar vectors / headings to both the flights, however
both PIA301 and UAE516 received Traffic Collision Avoidance System – Resolution Advisory (TCAS – RA) near Nawabshah and initiated climb and descend respectively.
PIA301 climbed to FL369 and UAE516 descended to FL347 due to TCAS – RA.
At the time of minimum vertical separation of 400 ft, both aircraft (PIA301 and UAE516) were 6.91NM laterally separated. They crossed each other (lateral separation 0.54 NM) with a vertical separation of 1800 ft as both had initiated TCAS – RA climb and descend respectively.

Cause.
1 Lack of situational awareness on part of Duty Air Traffic Controller (Area Radar Controller East) who while issuing descent clearance to PIA301 (From FL400 to FL180), keeping in mind another reciprocal traffic (PIA588 maintaining FL170) missed out another reciprocal traffic UAE516 (maintaining FL350). Upon activation of STCA (Violation Phase), his evasive maneuver was too late.
Incident of TCAS-RA between PIA301 & UAE516 on 07-01-2020 Page 19 of 20

Contributory Factors.
1 Lack of coordination / assistance on the part of Duty Air Traffic Controller (Area Procedure Controller East) for not been able to anticipate the traffic conflict, contributed to the occurrence. Furthermore he missed the Flight Plan Alert and did not act upon the alert.
2 STCA (Violation Phase) activated directly, without giving any prediction / anticipation of conflict. The STCA (Prediction Phase) did not activate because of the parameters set by the user and deprived the controller a safety feature provided in the system of anticipation of conflict

Accident investigation: