BTC 2937 + DHX 611
1 Jul 2002 · Mid-Air & Ground CollisionsÜBERLINGEN MID-AIR COLLISION
Tupolev Tu-154 + Boeing 757-200F · Bashkirian Airlines + DHL · Image: Wikimedia Commons
Why it happened
TCAS said climb; the controller said descend
TCAS vs ATC conflict
Single-controller workload
Phone line outage
Aircraft
Tupolev Tu-154 + Boeing 757-200F
Bashkirian Airlines + DHL
Route
Moscow–Domodedovo (DME), Russia
→ Barcelona (BCN), Spain
People
71 on board
71 fatalities
Date
1 Jul 2002
Category
Mid-Air & Ground Collisions
Two aircraft, one piece of sky.
THE STORY
One controller, two jets, conflicting orders: TCAS said climb, the controller said descend. They met at 34,890 ft over Lake Constance — 69 of the dead were children.