Experts are investigating a near miss by two British Airways jetliners that happened after a trainee air traffic controller misdirected one of them and an equipment failure prevented a quick change, an official said Friday.

The trainee at the Swanwick center in Hampshire mistakenly put the two Heathrow-bound planes on a course that brought them too close together, said Richard Wright, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Services. When his instructor attempted to intervene, his equipment failed.

At that point, the trainee managed to warn the pilot of a Boeing 777 from Brazil to stay above the Boeing 737 from Spain, officials said. The two aircraft came within 2 miles of each other, making it an official near miss. Such aircraft are supposed to remain at least 3 miles apart.

Wright said Monday's incident is being investigated by his agency and the Joint Airprox (air proximity) Board.

The Swanwick center was due to open in 1996, but computer software problems meant it did not do so until January. It has suffered computer problems since then, but not of the same type as the one this week, officials said.

The National Air Traffic Services was privatized last year amid much opposition. The downturn in air traffic since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States has led to severe financial problems.

mcall

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2002