Just seconds saved the lives of hundreds of passengers in an extremely dangerous incident between two Chinese planes flying over the remote Russian republic of Tuva, News.bg reports.
The incident occurred early in the morning of July 7, when an Air China passenger Airbus A350 with about 300 people on board came within a critically close distance of an SF Airlines cargo Boeing 767. The two planes were traveling at about 900 km/h, and the distance between them was only 90 meters vertically, compared to the prescribed minimum of 304 meters (1,000 feet).
According to information from the South China Morning Post, the Air China plane climbed about 600 meters above the permitted altitude, without confirmed instructions from controllers, which led to a near-fatal collision course.
Data from Flightradar24 shows the two planes' courses directly intersecting. Only a timely automatic maneuver activated by the collision avoidance system (TCAS) prevented the tragedy.
The incident once again raises the question of language barriers in international aviation. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), English is the official language of aviation communication, as it provides a single and clear channel for interaction between pilots and controllers on a global scale.
In this case, however, some of the communication between the Chinese crews was in Mandarin, and the Air China pilot expressed confusion over unclear instructions from a Russian controller. In an audio recording circulated on Chinese social media, he mentioned that "a girl confused everyone" possibly referring to a dispatcher whose instruction may have been mistaken for Air China instead of another Chinese flight.
The pilots of the SF Airlines cargo plane noticed the dangerous course and reacted immediately, condemning the actions of their A350 colleagues on air:
“Flying at such an altitude without permission is completely reckless.“
Neither Air China nor SF Airlines, nor the aviation authorities of Russia and China, have yet issued official statements on the matter. Both crews have said they will file reports on the incident, which is likely to be investigated internationally.