A REVISED TURBO-JET ROUTING FROM COS TO DEN INCREASES AN AREA OF KNOWN GLIDER ACTIVITY N OF COS. GLIDER FLTS EXCEED 12000 FT IN THIS AREA. THIS INCIDENT HAS CAUSED A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE GLIDER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE SUMMER SEASON.
Synopsis
A REVISED TURBO-JET ROUTING FROM COS TO DEN INCREASES AN AREA OF KNOWN GLIDER ACTIVITY N OF COS. GLIDER FLTS EXCEED 12000 FT IN THIS AREA. THIS INCIDENT HAS CAUSED A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE GLIDER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE SUMMER SEASON.
Narrative
ACR X B727 DEPARTED COS ARPT ENRTE TO DEN. PER DEN LOA; ACR X WAS VECTORED TO INTERCEPT THE FQF173R AT 12000 FT. THE FQF173R LAYS ON TOP OF BLACK FOREST GLIDER PORT APPROX 16 MI N OF THE COS VOR. PRIMARY TARGETS WERE OBSERVED IN THE VICINITY OF THE GLIDER PORT. ACR X WAS ISSUED TFC AS TYPE AND ALT UNKNOWN. WHEN ISSUED TFC 12 O'CLOCK 2 MI TYPE AND ALT UNKNOWN ACR X REQUESTED A VECTOR AND WAS ISSUED A 20 DEG L TURN. ACR X RPTED A GLIDER RED AND WHITE AT 12000 FT AND THANKED US FOR THE VECTOR. THIS PROB WAS CAUSED BY THE PROCS FOR DEN AND TOTAL DISREGARD FOR WHERE GLIDER PORTS ARE. THE ARR TO DEN FROM COS NEEDS TO BE CHANGED FROM THE FQF173R. THIS PROC WAS SET UP IN OCT OF 1995 WHEN THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO GLIDER ACTIVITY DUE TO WINTER WX. NOW WITH SUMMER COMING ON THERE WILL BE MORE GLIDER ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA. AS A CTLR I JUST HOPE THAT THE PRIMARY TARGETS WILL ALWAYS SHOW UP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH COS TRACON REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANALYST CALLED COS TRACON AND SPOKE TO A PROCS SPECIALIST REGARDING THE INCIDENT. SPECIALIST WAS AWARE OF THE AREA AND RTE THAT OVERFLIES THE GLIDER PORT. THE SPECIALIST CLAIMS THAT THE RTE WAS DEVELOPED LAST OCTOBER (1995) BECAUSE OF NUMEROUS NOISE COMPLAINTS CAUSED BY THE TFC FLOWS INTO AND OUT OF THE NEW DEN ARPT. THE NOISE COMPLAINTS ESCALATED TO THE CONGRESSIONAL LEVEL AND FINALLY THE SOLUTION WAS ALLEGEDLY MANDATED BACK DOWN FROM THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WHO ADVISED ALL PARTIES THAT THE COMPLAINTS HAD TO BE ACTED UPON AND SOLVED QUICKLY. SEVERAL RTES; INCLUDING THIS ONE; WERE CHANGED AT THE DIRECTION OF DOT. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS A VERY HIGH PROFILE PROB AND SOLUTION. THE SPECIALIST DOUBTS THAT ANY NEW CHANGES WILL BE CONSIDERED.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.