ATC EQUIP PROB RADAR COM PWR FAILURE CAUSED RADAR AND FREQ FAILURE. STANDBY PWR DID NOT COME ON LINE.

Narrative

ON JUN/SAT/95 I WAS WORKING THE NON RADAR POS 4 AT ZSU. AT XX23Z THE FACILITY LOST ALL PWR. THE BACKUP BATTERIES WERE NOT FUNCTIONAL CAUSING THE COMPUTER SYS; RADAR AND RADIOS TO FAIL. DURING THE NEXT 6 MINS THERE WERE 50-70 ACFT IN THE AIR UNDER NO CTL. THE RADARS WERE OUT AND ALSO THE FREQS. AT XX29 THE BACKUP SYS FINALLY CAME UP ON LINE. THIS WAS ALSO THE SAME TIME THE GENERATORS WERE STARTED MANUALLY BY MAINT PERSONNEL. AT XX50Z THE PRIMARY RADAR SYS WAS BACK ON LINE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: FACILITY MGR STATED THE FACILITY HAD 2 PWR FAILURES IN JUNE AND THE EMER GENERATOR DID NOT COME UP FOR 7 MINS. THE EMER GENERATORS ARE OLD AND USE AIR PRESSURE TO GET STARTED. THIS TAKES 7 MINS. THE UPS SYS IS SUPPOSED TO COVER UNTIL THE GENERATORS COME ON LINE. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT A BATTERY FAILED AND IN THE SECOND THE MAIN TECHNICIAN SHUT THE UPS SYS OFF BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT TO OVERHEAT AND BLOW UP. MGR SAID THE FACILITY IS TO GET A NEW UPS SYS NEXT YR AND MAYBE GENERATORS.