#2? I'd hope they would notice a tanker vs a CRJ. I'd believe if it were some 747 or 340.

yeah, yeah, yeah...and heaven knows the ATC controller couldn't possibly have issued a bad altitude assignment. Lot's of possibilities here, thinking I won't cast any blame until a few more facts come out.

Anyway, here's their flightpath:

ASA5202

They didn't press into Buckeye MOA or anything, so it'll be interesting to hear the final result. Maybe they were near an AR track like Cliffy170 offered up. Pre-AIFF days a CRJ and a KC-135 make a pretty similar radar return. Odds are F-16 pilots were aware of the ASA bubbas and not going to hit them.

In a different life a buddy of mine inadvertantly caused an airliner to have a TCAS RA by having an extremely high rate of climb directly underneath. It was during a big 4vX (that's air-air stuff for the uninitiated). Airliner was right on his assigned altitude over the top of the MOA, and my buddy never went out the top of the MOA.

Scenario #4 The Lawn Dart pilots were Delta pilots flying their monthly hours for the ANG and were talking on 243.0 Guard about the lowly commuter pilots taking their jobs when they spotted the lowly commuter jet and decided to show them how real airline pilots flew.

Used to get TCAS warnings often going into SPS. A T-38, 500 feet below you closing at 300 knots will do that.

Neatest maneuver was getting a vector in the E120 one morning so a pair of F-15's could do an "Eagle Departure," several miles to the South of us. Announced it on the PA so those seated on the right side of the aircraft could watch. We were at 15,000 two came off of Robbins, rolled inverted to shallow their climb as they passed through about 15,500 burners blazing in the twilight sky. Quite a sight :)

even better is "why won't he lower the boom??....uh, disregard...hey 2 you got yardstick to the tanker"

Never happened to me, but heard a story once....

Aww, nuthin wrong with a little intelligent/humorous speculating on our part (just don't tell my old intel officer that). I just think speculating needs to be more creative than a moronic "Hey, I bet those RJ guys bumped off the autopilot with their lunchbox"

or

<<insert cliche here>>

Everyone can make a mistake, even a military pilot.

Have any of you really rejoined with a tanker above FL250? Especially in the U.S.? I'd throw the AAR argument out almost immediately.

When I flew the T-1 we'd get TA's flying over the MOA with a T-38 8000 (we could expand the envelope to +/- 9900) feet below us pulling into a loop, since the closure was so high.

Well looks like the CRJ successfully outmaneuvered the F-16s and lives to see another day...

Those ASA guys should go to Top Gun.

These TCAS RA stories crack me up. As a tanker bubba, I've had plenty of TCAS RAs. Most were bogus, some were real encounters with other airplanes not following the rules.

I'd love to know just how close the fighters got to the PSA jet. When they queried ATC, did they have a TCAS TA or was is a full up RA? As another has said, fighters can close on you so fast, the TCAS system will immediately revert to an RA, although they are no where near you or planning to do so.

I find that individuals who have never flown formation, or been close to another airplane, tend to get overly spooked by the TCAS system. Remember, you have 5 seconds to respond to a TCAS RA and 2.5 seconds for a reversal RA. You need a 0.25G maneuver for the first, 0.35G maneuver for that later. Neither of which, requires you to be aggressive and death is not imminent.