A report has been issued into a near-miss involving a Chinook helicopter and a Hercules aircraft over Usk, Monmouthshire, in June 2024. The Airprox Board’s investigation found that swift action taken by the Chinook crew helped prevent a potential collision.
The Chinook was flying at low level on a routine daytime navigation sortie when a crew member became aware of the Hercules between three and five miles away near The Bryn. In response, the Chinook crew made a “dynamic assessment” and descended to increase the separation between the two aircraft.
Investigators determined that the flights had been planned and checked for conflicts using a military tool available to both pilots. The aircraft were also equipped with radio, transponders, and traffic alerting systems. However, the report noted that while the tool was designed to help with deconfliction, variations in the operational timeline meant that when aircraft arrived significantly earlier or later than expected, situational awareness from route comparisons was lost.
The board acknowledged that both crews had made radio calls, but the effectiveness of VHF communications had been hindered by the undulating terrain, meaning some messages had not been uniformly received. This limitation reduced situational awareness. Additionally, a traffic alerting system on the Chinook appeared to be malfunctioning, further impacting the pilots’ ability to detect each other’s presence.
“The combination of radio and EC (Electronic Conspicuity) weaknesses in this case had meant that neither pilot had had any situational awareness of the presence or the proximity of the other aircraft,” the report stated.
Despite these challenges, the board praised the Chinook crew for their vigilance and effective teamwork in responding to the situation. Their lookout and coordination ensured that the pilot’s decisions were based on the best available information when the Hercules’ proximity became a concern.
The report also considered why full transponder operation was not registered by both radar and ADS-B tracking tools but recognised that, in certain circumstances, military flight details must remain classified. However, it concluded that more could have been done to increase awareness between the two aircraft that they were operating in the same area.
Ultimately, while the report acknowledged that “safety had been degraded,” it found that there was no risk of collision.
Chinook and Hercules in near-miss over Wales
