So when a pilot is flying along and suddenly hears a "Climb... Climb..." Resolution Advisory (RA) from ACAS/TCAS, we are trained to immediately climb to avoid a collision with another aircraft.
There is a reporting requirement in NTSB 830 which states (bold added by me):
49 CFR 830.5 - Immediate notification
The operator of any civil aircraft, or any public aircraft not operated by the Armed Forces or an intelligence agency of the United States, or any foreign aircraft shall immediately, and by the most expeditious means available, notify the nearest National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) office when:
...
(10) Airborne Collision and Avoidance System (ACAS) resolution advisories issued either:
(i) When an aircraft is being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan and compliance with the advisory is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft; or
(ii) To an aircraft operating in class A airspace.
...
So my questions are:
- Is the phrase "compliance with the advisory is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft" defined somewhere or is there any guidance to say when the report is required? I.e. is it anytime that we get an RA (even if we visually have the aircraft in sight), only if we actually respond to an RA, or is it if the two airplanes get within a certain distance from each other?
- When a report is required, how do we report it and what information is required? Is there a form that needs to be filled out?