B789 / A332, vicinity Sydney Australia, 2022

B789 / A332, vicinity Sydney Australia, 2022

Summary

On 28 September 2022, a Boeing 787-9 and an Airbus A330-200 were successively cleared for takeoff from Sydney having been instructed to follow the same SID and climb to the same level - FL280. The A330 climbed faster than the controller anticipated and turned towards the next waypoint inside the preceding aircraft, resulting in a loss of separation. The Investigation found that the SID concerned did not provide separation assurance to aircraft with different performance characteristics because aircraft had to satisfy two separate conditions prior to turning which meant the turning point was not a fixed position.

Description

On 28 September 2022, a Boeing 787-9 (G-ZBKF) being operated by British Airways on a scheduled international passenger flight from Sydney to Singapore as BA16 and an Airbus A330-200 (VH-EBK) being operated by Qantas Airways on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Sydney to Cairns as QF926 lost prescribed separation in day VMC when issued with same SID and then given successive takeoff clearances and came within 600 feet vertically and 2.4nm laterally of each other as corrective action was taken by the controller. 

Investigation

A Serious Incident Investigation into the event was carried out by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). Sufficient recorded trajectory and communications data were available from ATC to complete the Investigation. 

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