Air Transport

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has stopped short of criticising US Air Force operating procedures in UK airpace, but has made a series of observations in the light of an air miss incident involving a British Airways Embraer ERJ-145 last year.

Two Boeing F-15E Eagles based at RAF Lakenheath were on a training mission when they passed below the ERJ-145 (G-EMBE), operated by BA CitiExpress, within around 1,000m (3,300ft) lateral separation. Vertical separation had not been established. The incident occurred on 27 January 2005 at 11:35 near London Luton airport. The CitiExpress aircraft had 35 people on board.

In its report, the AAIB said "general confusion" between military air traffic control and the US crew lead to the F-15Es passing too close to the aircraft. The two F-15Es were flying at flight level 210 (21,000ft/7,000m), above the level at which they had been cleared to fly and one aircraft passed within 0.53nm (980m) of the regional jet. "Because they were critically short of fuel, the [USAF] aircraft climbed through their cleared flight level, without transponding, entered controlled airspace and conflicted with the Embraer 145," the report says.

The F-15s had completed a close air support training sortie at Otterburn Range, 20nm north-west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the AAIB has concluded that a lack of fuel and air traffic delays at Lakenheath caused the pilots to divert. "Poor use was made of the highly sophisticated aids available to the crews in monitoring fuel loads, monitoring ground position and using airborne radar," the report says.

Air traffic control at Lakenheath also came under criticism, with the investigation team saying that a communication failure at the air base "contributed to the subsequent radar identification problems".

External link:
Read the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch special bulletin into the loss of separation between two USAF F-15Es and a British Airways Embraer ERJ-145