FAA Issues Midair Collision Prevention Notice

The notice focuses on midair collision prevention near Charleston airport.

FAA
Federal Aviation Administration [Shutterstock/T. Schneider]
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Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA Safety Team issued a Midair Collision Prevention Notice for Charleston International (KCHS) and surrounding general aviation airports due to several recent near midair collisions.
  • The notice includes a flyer recommending that pilots treat CHS approach and departure corridors as a Terminal Radar Service Area (TRSA).
  • Local pilots are encouraged to fly below 2,000 feet in these marked areas and contact CHS TRACON, even if clear of Class C airspace.
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The FAA Safety Team issued a Midair Collision Prevention Notice on Thursday to prevent potential accidents in and around Charleston International Airport (KCHS) as well as at surrounding general aviation airports, such as Berkeley County Airport (KMKS), Mount Pleasant Regional Airport (KLRO), and Summerville Airport (KDYB) in South Carolina.

The notice includes a flyer that marks CHS’s approach and departure corridors used by heavy jets and airline traffic and recommends that all pilots treat these areas as a terminal radar service area (TRSA).

The flyer was created by the AOPA Air Safety Institute and is targeted at local pilots, who are encouraged to fly below 2,000 feet in the marked areas unless directed by CHS TRACON. Even if pilots are clear of Class C airspace, it is recommended that they contact CHS TRACON and advise of their intentions. 

This notice comes after several near midair collisions have occurred around the areas in question, the agency said. The FAA added that the notice will remain in place over the next four months.

Charleston International Airport is a joint civil-military airport that includes commercial and general aviation traffic, a C-17 base, along with Boeing test flight operations.

Parris Clarke

Parris is a writer and content producer for Firecrown. When Parris isn't chasing stories, you can find him watching or playing basketball.

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Replies: 5

  1. Avatar for MoMule MoMule says:

    Years ago I was shooting the approach to CHS in IMC, and just outside the FAF, a corporate Lear Jet, before ADS-B, popped up on TCAS and commanded a TA. The Lear was scud running from Hilton Head where they missed running 1 mile and clear of clouds. Point being, CHS has had more than just this one event due to pressured corporate pilots trying to get the boss and the Royal Barge in enough time to make the tee.

  2. How about adsb both in and out.

  3. Avatar for MoMule MoMule says:

    Even better, wasn’t available during my event.

  4. I’ve had quite a few false ADS-B TIS-B traffic warnings on my system over the last 6 years that I’ve had it. In some cases the traffic was my own airplane that showed up as another aircraft very close by. There are also aircraft without ADS-B OUT that don’t show up on TIS-B. The point is, don’t rely on ADS-B TIS-B to show you all the aircraft near you.

  5. That’s where the term trust but verify comes into play.

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