A helicopter and an RAF Typhoon had a “medium” chance of colliding in the skies near Lossiemouth last year, air investigators have revealed.
The two aircraft came close to meeting several miles off the coast of the town on October 3.
At the time, the Typhoon had been tasked with supporting an aircraft carrier in the Moray Firth.
The pilot had been in radio contact with the ship while practising a manoeuvre.
But following a climb away from the carrier, the jet’s controls alerted him to something else sharing his airspace.
It was not until he received a courtesy call from the ship that he spotted an S92 helicopter – on its way from Wick to Aberdeen – flying nearby.
At their closest point, the Typhoon was just 0.3 nautical miles – approximately 1,800ft – away from the helicopter, which was also 1,400ft above it.
The Airprox Board, which investigates such matters, suggested the pilot had not been remaining in full contact with air traffic controllers because he was “under the impression” the ship was providing the necessary service.
This was due to a misunderstanding where he had not been fully briefed pre-flight, it said.
The report added: “Until the courtesy call, he had not appreciated that the carrier was unable to provide information on conflicting traffic.
“A better plan would have been to have kept a listening watch with Lossiemouth Approach and to have accepted that the service would have been intermittent given the nature and position of the tasking.”
