ACR X NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION REFUSED CLRNC TO HIGHER ALT HAD LTSS FROM CPR Y. PLTDEV. SYS ERROR.

Date: 1993-05 · Aircraft: Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-airspace-violation-entry-or-exit

Synopsis

ACR X NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION REFUSED CLRNC TO HIGHER ALT HAD LTSS FROM CPR Y. PLTDEV. SYS ERROR.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING THE THX-RND SECTORS COMBINED WITH SEVERE WX LOCATED THROUGHOUT BOTH SECTORS. SAT DEPARTED SEVERAL ACFT (AT LEAST 80 THAT WERE FLT PLANNED OUT THE N GATE; BECAUSE OF WX THESE ACFT ALL DEVIATED TO THE E AND SE. MY D-SIDE TOOK MANUAL HDOFS ON THE ACFT. AT THE SAME TIME ALL OF THE ARRS WERE DEVIATING TO THE SAME HOLES IN THE WX. WHILE TRYING TO SEQUENCE THE ACFT INBOUND TO SAT AND GET THEM BELOW THE DEPS; SAT CALLED AND SAID THE ARPT WAS CLOSED AND TO HOLD ALL ACFT INBOUND UNTIL FURTHER ADVISED. I ASKED THE D-SIDE TO GET SOME INFO ON THE ACFT THAT WE WERE WORKING. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME I WAS REESTABLISHING VERT SEPARATION AND ISSUING HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS TO THE INBOUND ACFT. ONE OF THE DEPARTING ACFT; ACR X; REFUSED A CTL INSTRUCTION TO CLB TO FL230. THE PLT STATED THAT HE WANTED TO STAY AT 13000 FT AND TURN FROM THE ASSIGNED HDG OF 070 DEGS TO 130 DEGS. THE TRAILING ACFT WAS ABOUT 8-10 MI INTRAIL SO THIS HDG CHANGE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR. IN THE MEANTIME THE CONFLICT ALERT FEATURE KEPT GOING OFF ON OTHER ACFT THAT WERE NOT ONLY SEPARATED VERTICALLY; ALL DATA BLOCKS HAD THE CORRECT INFO. BECAUSE OF THIS GLITCH IN THE COMPUTER; I HAD TO SPEND AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME REISSUING CTL INSTRUCTIONS THAT WERE BEING COMPLIED WITH. THE NEXT TIME I LOOKED AT ACR X THE ACFT WAS HDG ABOUT 180-190 DEGS WITH THE CPR Y AT 3 O'CLOCK AND ABOUT 5-6 MI AND CONVERGING. I IMMEDIATELY ISSUED A TURN TO THE ACR X AS I CALLED THE TFC. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THIS IS WHAT I SAID: 'FLY HDG 040 DEGS IMMEDIATELY FOR TFC; TFC 3 O'CLOCK; 4 MI AND CONVERGING; CLB AND MAINTAIN 4000.' ACR X COMPLIED WITH MY CLRNC. THE OTHER ACFT WAS ON APCH FREQ AND TURNED ALSO. WHEN I WAS RELIEVED FROM THE SECTOR; I ASKED THE SUPVRS THAT WERE WATCHING THE SPECIAL EVENT IF I NEEDED TO FILL OUT ANY PAPER WORK AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PHONE DID NOT RING SO YOU MUST HAVE HAD SEPARATION. I DO NOT KNOW IF I HAD LEGAL SEPARATION OR NOT; BUT I DO FEEL THAT THE SECTOR WAS OUT OF CTL FOR MANY REASONS: 1) FLOW CTL WAS MUCH TOO WORRIED ABOUT THE WX IMPACTING THE IAH-HOU ARPTS TO CARE ABOUT ANY OTHERS IN THE FACILITY. IT WAS A LEVEL 6 TSTM THAT CLOSED SAT ARPT AND THE ASSOCIATED LINE OF LEVEL 4 AND 5 TSTMS THAT CAUSED THE DEVS INTO MY SECTORS WITHOUT ANY VIABLE RERTE OR STRIPS EVEN ON THE ACFT INVOLVED. 2) THE SUPVRS SAW ALL OF THIS GOING ON AND INSTEAD OF TAKING THE RND SECTOR FROM THE THX SECTOR IN A TIMELY MANNER THEY WAITED TOO LONG TO PUT A TRACKER IN POS. 3) ME AS THE RADAR CTLR ALLOWING THE SECTOR TO GET OUT OF CTL. 4) THE COMPUTER WITH THE PREVIOUS MENTIONED GLITCHES TAKING UP TOO MUCH OF MY VALUABLE TIME.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.