Accident: Southwest B737 at Burbank on Feb 13th 2010, TCAS resolution
By Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, Feb 16th 2010 18:43Z, last updated Wednesday, Feb 17th 2010 08:05Z
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N221WN performing flight WN-2534 from Las Vegas,NV to Burbank,CA (USA) with 80 passengers and 5 crew, was on approach to Burbank's runway 08 descending from 8000 to 6000 feet, when the flight crew responded to a Traffic and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) Resolution Advisory (RA). At the same time ATC advised of a traffic at 5900 feet which should be no factor. The crew visually picked the traffic up a few moments later reporting they had already responded to a RA and continued for a safe landing on runway 08.
The FAA reported in their preliminaries, that as a result of the avoidance maneuver two flight crew members (editorial note: supposedly they meant to say cabin crew members) received injuries. One received serious, the other minor injuries.
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said, that the Southwest Airlines flight crew responded to a TCAS RA with a small private aircraft at 6000 feet about 20nm from Burbank requiring the Southwest Airlines to increase their descent, the minimum lateral distance between the aircraft on diverging trajectories was roughly 2nm. Subsequently the airplane climbed back to 6000 feet. A flight attendant fractured her shoulder, another flight attendant received bruises.
Southwest Airlines reported, that both flight attendants were taken to a local hospital and could already be released after treatment.
The NTSB have initiated an investigation into the accident.