ORMOND BEACH, FL, USA
N64339
BOEING 727
N72
BEECH 300
AN FAA BEECH 300, CALL SIGN: FLT CHECK 72 (FLC72), WAS HDG SE ON J79 AT FL260, WHILE TWA FLT 393 WAS HDG SOUTH ON J45 AT FL310. BOTH HAD IFR CLNCS & WERE BEING CTLD BY THE R58 CTLR AT JACKSONVILLE ARTCC. AT THAT TIME, THE CTLR WAS BUSY WORKING A NUMBER OF OTR ACFT. FLC72 REQUESTED A DSCNT, BUT THE DSCNT WAS DELAYED WHILE THE CTLR COORDINATED TFC WITH ANOTHER CTLR. IN THE MEANTIME, FLT 393 WAS CLRD TO DSCND TO FL240. ABT 90 SEC LTR, FLC72 WAS TOLD TO FLY A HDG OF 195 DEG & TO DSCND & MAINT 16,000'. FLC72 ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT DID NOT DSCND IN A TIMELY MANNER, NOR DID THE CTLR NOTE THE ANOMALY. SUBSEQUENTLY, FLC72 & FLT 393 CONVERGED TO ABT .8 MI HORIZONTAL SEPN AT THE SAME ALT. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE CAPT OF FLC72 ALLOWED THE COPLT TO LEAVE THE COCKPIT & LET ANOTHER FAA EMPLOYEE OCCUPY THE COPLT'S SEAT. THE CAPT RPRTD THAT HE MAY HAVE BECOME DISTRACTED WHILE BRIEFING THE EMPLOYEE.
FAILURE OF THE PILOT IN COMMAND IN THE BEECH 300 TO COMPLY WITH AN ATC CLEARANCE IN A TIMELY MANNER, WHILE DIVERTING HIS ATTENTION, AND FAILURE OF THE ATC CONTROLLER TO ASSURE THAT IFR SEPARATION WAS MAINTAINED.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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