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Mid-air Collision is an aviation accident category defined as a collision between aircraft in flight. This accident category is rare but when it occurs, it is catastrophic.
IATA's role, together with other industry stakeholders, is to raise awareness on the importance of compliance with a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and immediate and correct flight crew response. To reduce risks, IATA and Eurocontrol have developed guidance material.
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Just released!
The third edition of the Performance Assessment of Pilot Compliance to Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) advisories using Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) (pdf) has been issued, a joint coordination between Eurocontrol and IATA.
Note: heavy file (99Mb). Download and save a copy before opening with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The animation is compatible with Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 and Office 365.
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) - a priority for aviation
The EUROCONTROL Safety Improvement Sub-Group (SISG) identified that "Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) Resolution Advisory (RA) Not Followed" is one of the ‘Top 5’ Air Traffic Management (ATM) Operational Safety Priorities.
A study, targeting pilots, and supported by IATA and several European aircraft operators, prompted 3,800 responses from 90 countries. It was decided that IATA, together with industry stakeholders, will be working on raising awareness of the importance of correct compliance with a TCAS RA.
IATA believes that operators should use their Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) programs to monitor pilot response to TCAS RA to ensure that they are carried out correctly and in a timely manner, addressing any identified shortcomings through training and awareness campaigns.
Assessing pilot compliance to Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System
Operators can monitor the frequency of RAs as well as the quality of pilot responses to RAs, using Flight Data Monitoring, Flight Data Recorders, and dedicated TCAS recorders. To assist operators with the assessment of pilot compliance with TCAS RAs, IATA and EUROCONTROL have jointly published this 3rd edition of the Guidance Material on the assessments of Pilot compliance with Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) advisories using Flight Data Monitoring (pdf).
Note: The file size is 99Mb. We recommend that you download and save a copy of the report before opening with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The embedded animation is compatible with Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 and Office 365.
Content overview
- Guidance for TCAS Resolution Advisory (RA) compliance assessment
- Short training animations
- A summary of the compliance assessment using radar data
- Guidance on technical and operational issues applicable to TCAS RA to facilitate operational monitoring
- Compliance assessment methods
- RA Compliance MS-Excel Tool
The second edition of the Performance Assessment of Pilot Compliance to Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) advisories using Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) (pdf) was released in November 2020, in coordination with Eurocontrol. It aims to support aircraft operators in the assessment of pilot compliance with TCAS RAs to ensure that their aircraft benefit from the safety barrier offered by TCAS.
Note: These Guidance materials are not designed for the complete training of pilots or other stakeholders.
For further information, please contact safety@iata.org .