Before we go further on what is TCAS, I would like to refresh on few accidents involving aircraft in mid-air collision.
Nov 1996 – Mid-air collision between Saudi Airlines Flt 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flt 1907 which killed 349 passengers onboard.
Sep 1976 – Mid-air collision between British Airways Flt 476 and Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flt 550 which killed 176 people onboard.
Dec 1992 – Air crash between Libyan Arab Airlines Flt 1103 and Libyan Air Force Mig-23 Flogger on the way to Tripoli International Airport which brings fatality of 159 people including air crew.
Based on the tragedies occurred together with some other mid-air collision, a new kind of technology invented to avoid such this things from happening in the future. It’s called Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to be used in every commercial aircraft nowdays. It is a mandatory requirement as said International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) who is the global aviation authority. Now let’s dig what is TCAS and why it is too important to implement this technology on aircraft?