Near Mid-air

[Kip Powick]

Heads of navy, army and air force on plane that barely avoided mid-air collision over B.C.

OTTAWA–Canada came close to losing its senior military leaders in the near-collision of a government Challenger jet and a commercial jetliner over British Columbia, the Star has learned.

The April incident is now prompting questions why the military allowed its top brass – including the heads of the navy, army and air force – to travel together in the first place, a practice that most large corporations forbid.

But the Star has learned the Canadian Forces have no policy on whether commanders should travel apart, a failing that exposes the military to serious risk in the event of an accident, one expert said.

"It is common sense not to have your key leaders together in one vehicle or one plane," said Susan Gurley, executive director of the U.S.-based Association of Corporate Travel Executives.

"Most global corporations have these very clear travel policies in place and they enforce them because they won't want to be in the position where something happens and the company is rudderless."

"This might be one area where the government can look to the private sector," she said in an interview from the association headquarters in Alexandria, Va.

"I'm glad nothing bad happened and, hopefully, they will take this seriously."

The Star revealed last month the government VIP jet en route to Ottawa from Vancouver had to descend out of the path of an Emirates Boeing 777 headed in the opposite direction near Penticton, B.C.

Now a passenger manifest shows the Challenger was flying with nine of the most senior military commanders.

They included Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson, then head of the navy and now retired; Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt, head of the air force; and Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, head of the army.

Also aboard were Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, who was head of Canada Command and now heads the navy; Vice-Admiral Denis Rouleau, the vice-chief of defence staff; and Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Greg Lacroix, the most senior non-commissioned member of the military.

The military does consider splitting up commanders when they travel – but only in theatres of operation, one defence official said yesterday.

"We don't have a policy that restricts the travel of senior leadership ... not in a domestic, everyday-type context," he said, speaking for background.

But he said that could change in the wake of this recent incident.

Alain Pellerin, a retired colonel, said concern about spending taxpayers' money and worry about the public optics of using two or three corporate jets to shuttle about military brass were likely a factor in the decision to have the leaders fly together.

"That is always a concern in the back of their mind," said Pellerin, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, a pro-military lobby group based in Ottawa.

The military business jet and the Emirates Boeing 777-200 passed within 700 feet vertically after some last-minute manoeuvring prompted by high-tech equipment on both jets that alerted the pilots to the potential collision.

Heeding the electronic warnings, the Emirates pilots put their big, 266-seat jet into a climb while the military pilots pushed the nose of the Challenger down to descend.

As well, the controller issued his own instructions telling the Challenger to descend and turn to avoid the jetliner.

Officials with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it was "close" and are investigating the circumstances around the incident.

Nav Canada, the not-for-profit agency that runs the air traffic control system, declined to comment because of the ongoing probe.

However, spokesperson Ron Singer yesterday said that in the wake of any operational incident, the controller involved is typically removed from duty until a preliminary investigation is completed, usually within a few hours.

Depending on the circumstances, the controller might return to work, undergo a proficiency assessment or go through retraining.

"In this case the appropriate action was taken," Singer said in an email.

[Moon The Loon]

Our top brass will learn the same way Shell and so many other corporations did. In hindsight.

[conehead]

Old news, Kip. You still floatin' around the St. Lawrence?

[Kip Powick]

Yup, on the hook right now......just waiting for a spot on Mulcaster Island. Should be docked in about an hour and surprise..................................the sun is shining !!!!!