ACFT GAR DUE TO FALSE MICROBURST ADVISORY. ATC EQUIP PROB LLWAS-3 TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR.
Synopsis
ACFT GAR DUE TO FALSE MICROBURST ADVISORY. ATC EQUIP PROB LLWAS-3 TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR.
Narrative
AT XX36 ON MAY/XX/95 I NOTICED A MICROBURST ALERT GO OFF FOR RWY 35R; INDICATING A 40 KT LOSS. THIS ALERT CAUSED AN ACR TO EXECUTE A MISSED APCH. THE WINDS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ARPT NEVER GOT HIGHER THAN 6 KTS. THE LLWAS INDICATED THE ALERT; WHILE THE TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR SCREEN HAD A RED 'X' ON IT INDICATING IT WAS OTS. THE ALERT WENT AWAY WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. WE CONTINUED TO USE THIS UNRELIABLE EQUIP REGARDLESS. THE MISSED APCH WAS LOGGED; THE MALFUNCTION IN THE EQUIP WAS NOT. THIS IS A CONSTANT PROB. AT XX45; THE WIND INDICATORS ON THE LLWAS WENT BLANK AGAIN FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. THE TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR APPEARED NORMAL. AGAIN; THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROB. AT YY55 A GUST FRONT PASSED OVER THE ARPT. A GUST OR MICROBURST WAS OBVIOUS BECAUSE OF THE BLOWING DUST. NOTHING OF NOTE WAS EVER DISPLAYED ON THE TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR. THIS EQUIP IS DANGEROUS FOR FLT AND SHOULD BE LOGGED OTS PERMANENTLY UNTIL IT CAN BECOME RELIABLE. MOST CTLRS HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN IT AT ALL. IT IS PREMATURELY BEING CERTIFIED DESPITE KNOWN PROBS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED SINCE MOVING TO NEW DEN ARPT ATC EQUIP PROBS HAVE BEEN ONGOING WITH NO CORRECTIVE ACTION; UCR'S FILED WITH NO RESPONSE. LLWAS-3 WILL NOT INTERFACE WITH TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR AND CAUSES FALSE MICROBURST ALERTS. RPTR STATED FAA WAS TOLD PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR THAT IT WOULD NOT INTERFACE WITH LLWAS-3. RPTR STATED DEN WAS A TEST FACILITY FOR ANOTHER MANUFACTURER TERMINAL DOPPLER WX RADAR AND LLWAS-3 WHICH DID INTERFACE CORRECTLY. EQUIP HAS BEEN DE-INTERFACED AND IS NOW WORKED INDEPENDENTLY. EQUIP STILL DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.