Doug Haluza wrote:
Yes, and fortunately the accident apparently did not happen in Class-A
airspace. If something like this did happen in Class-A, the
repurcussions could be wide ranging. Even if the glider pilot thinks
he's at 17,999' the FDR and ATC tapes are going to be given more
weight. So this points out the need to leave some buffer altitude as
well. You are not goiing to get the benefit of the doubt.

I disagree about the repercussion issue. If a glider was involved in a
midair in Class A airspace without appropriate clearance, then the pilot
is in clear violation of the FARs, subject to enforcement action
(assuming he survives), and there is no need for further rule making.

It is precisely this sort of situation, a conflict between aircraft
legally present in the same airspace, that sometimes leads to
undesirable (from our perspective) changes in airspace classification
and rules. What is truly fortunate was that it was not an airliner...

Marc