TRACON CTLR OBSERVES TSTM ACTIVITY ON FINAL APCH AND NOTIFIES SUPVR THAT APCHS SHOULD BE DISCONTINUED UNTIL WX PASSES. SUPVR DOES NOT TAKE ANY ACTION TO STOP ARRS. A COMMUTER ACFT ON FINAL ENCOUNTERS SEVERE WX AND TURNS IN FRONT OF TFC ON APCH FOR THE PARALLEL RWY.

Narrative

ON THE MORNING OF APR/XX/96; WE HAD TSTMS IN THE DFW TRACON AIRSPACE. I WAS WORKING THE HDOF POS FOR FEEDER E. THERE WERE SEVERAL LARGE AREAS OF WX ON THE W SIDE OF TRACON'S AIRSPACE THAT CAUSED THE TWO W INBOUND RTES TO BE STOPPED. ANOTHER LARGE AREA OF WX WAS FORMING ON THE W SIDE OF DFW ARPT (APPROX 10 MI W); AS WE GOT INCREASINGLY BUSIER ON THE E SIDE'S TWO INBOUND RTES. ASR-9 RADAR PRESENTATIONS INDICATED LEVEL 4 OR GREATER AREAS OF PRECIPITATION. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE AREA JUST W OF THE ARPT HAD LEVEL 4 AND 5 TSTMS AND HVY HAIL. MOVEMENT OF THE TSTM WAS E-ENE WHICH WOULD TAKE IT OVER THE ARPT AND THE FINALS FOR ALL ARRS. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN TO THE SUPVRS THAT WE NEEDED TO STOP THE INBOUNDS FOR WX. ONE SEEMED UNCONCERNED AND SAID THE FLOW RATE WAS AT 66. FEEDER E WAS VERY BUSY AS WAS AR1 (WORKING E SIDE FINAL). THE TRAINEE AND HIS INSTRUCTOR ON AR1 WERE WORKING ALL THE ACFT FOR 2 FINALS (RWYS 17C AND 18R þ THE RWY 13R FINAL WAS NOT USED DUE TO WX). AIRPLANES WERE VECTORED INTO THIS AREA OF WX AS IT PROGRESSED OVER THE FINALS. BOTH FEEDER E AND AR1 WERE TALKING SO FAST THAT I DOUBT AN ACFT ON FINAL COULD HAVE PASSED A PIREP. THEY WERE SO BUSY THAT I'M NOT SURE THAT ACFT WERE ADVISED ON THE LEVEL OF TSTM OR THAT HAIL WAS RPTED BY NEARBY CITIES. THE SF34 WAS ON THE RWY 18R FINAL AND BEGAN TO TURN OFF THE FINAL TO THE ESE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE MD80 ON THE RWY 17L FINAL. THE W TWR CTLR TRIED TO GET THE SF34 TO TURN S AND THE FINAL MONITOR E ISSUED AN IMMEDIATE L TURN TO PULL OUT THE MD80. FINAL MONITOR W SAID YOU COULD HEAR THE HAIL HITTING THE AIRPLANE WHEN THE SF34 KEYED THE MIKE TO SAY THEY WERE GETTING OUT OF THERE. WE HAVE SEVERAL DOPPLER WX PRESENTATIONS AVAILABLE TO FLOW CTLRS AND SUPVR. WE COULD NOT SEE THESE FROM WHERE WE WERE. IN MY OPINION THE SUPVRS DID NOT DO THEIR JOBS. THE CTLRS AND PLTS WERE PUT IN A VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS SIT AND THERE WAS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. THOUGH WE HAVE THE EQUIP AVAILABLE TO KEEP US BETTER INFORMED; WE ARE OFTEN OVERLOADED AT DFW. SUPVRS WAIT FOR ACFT TO DEV OR GAR BEFORE THEY'LL REDUCE OR STOP TFC.