When ATC Screws Up

On December 16, 2016, shortly after takeoff at 0119 local time, an EVA Air Boeing 777-300ER apparently came well within 1000 vertical feet of mountainous terrain after departing the Los Angeles (Calif.) International Airport (KLAX). While a formal investigation reportedly is underway at the FAA and the carrier, unofficial transcripts and aircraft tracking data make it clear this event was a very near thing. The publicly available information depicts confusion and uncertainty in the 777s cockpit. It also suggests non-standard phraseology on ATCs part may have contributed to the event. The sidebar on the opposite page explores it a bit more, based on unoffocial sources.

Key Takeaways:

• An EVA Air Boeing 777 had a near-miss with mountainous terrain after misinterpreting ATC instructions, exacerbated by communication breakdown, non-standard ATC phraseology, and pilot expectations.
• The author's personal go-around incident underscored how ATC coordination issues and communication failures, even at a towered airport, can lead to safety incidents.
• Both events highlight that "failure to communicate" and "unmet expectations" are critical underlying causes of aviation safety incidents involving both pilots and air traffic control.
• Pilots are advised to maintain proactive communication with ATC, using standard phraseology, fully reading back clearances, asking for clarification, and upholding strong situational awareness to prevent errors.

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