On September 7, a dangerous near-miss occurred in North Macedonian airspace between a Turkish Airlines (THY) flight from Madrid to Istanbul and a SunExpress flight from Dalaman to London Gatwick. The incident took place at 36,000 feet above Skopje, putting both planes at significant risk.
TCAS System Played a Crucial Role
The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) issued alerts, warning that the two planes were dangerously close to each other. The TCAS system in the cockpit of the THY aircraft instructed the pilots to descend, while the SunExpress plane, coming from the opposite direction, was ordered to climb. Both sets of pilots acted immediately according to the TCAS alerts, with the THY aircraft descending to 34,000 feet, allowing both planes to safely avoid collision.
Investigation Launched
Following the incident, the North Macedonian Civil Aviation Authority initiated an investigation classified as “serious.” The investigation will examine the adherence of the aircraft to air traffic regulations and evaluate the measures in place to prevent such dangerous encounters.
Safety Measures and Public Statement
The findings of the investigation and the preventive actions to be taken will be shared with the public to enhance safety in the aviation sector. Aviation authorities will closely monitor the measures implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.
