1997-02 · NASA ASRS report 361065
RPTR STATES A FLOW CTL PROB IN AND OUT OF HOLDING BY THE TMU. RPTR SAID THIS UNSAFE CONDITION CONTRIBUTED TO AN OPERROR. LTSS.
IN SITS OF EXTENSIVE HOLDING; AN UNSAFE CONDITION NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED REGARDING FLOW CTL INTO AND OUT OF THE HOLD. AT THIS TIME THE CTLR AT THE 'FEEDING' OR ARR FIX IS NOT CONSULTED BEFORE TMU LIFTS ITS RESTRS FROM ADJACENT SECTORS AND FIRST TIER FACILITIES. TMU MAKES ITS DECISION BASED ON THE NEW ARR RATE; DME AND SPD. IT DOES NOT CONSIDER NOR SOLICIT INFO REGARDING SECTOR STAFFING; FREQ CONGESTION; CTLR FATIGUE OR THE INHERENT DIFFICULTY AND EXTRA AWARENESS NEEDED WHEN VECTORING INTO AND OUT OF THE HOLD. THIS UNSAFE CONDITION RECENTLY CONTRIBUTED TO AN OPERROR AT THE BEARZ SECTOR (ZAU-SE). THIS UNSAFE CONDITION IS DRIVEN BY THE EFFORT TO REDUCE DELAYS AT ALL COSTS. OFTEN ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS AN EXTRA 5 MINS OF 'BREATHING' ROOM TO KEEP THE OP SAFE. TMU CANNOT LIFT RESTRS ON HOLDING ACFT WITHOUT CONSULTING AND EVALUATING TIME CRITICAL INFO FROM THE ARR SECTOR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THE TMU WAS RELEASING TFC FROM THE OUTER FIXES WITHOUT COORD WITH THE INNER FIX CTLRS. RPTR FELT THE OPERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE CTLR WAS DISTRACTED BY THE TFC VOLUME AND DSNDED AN ACR TO SAME ALT OF ANOTHER ACR IN THE HOLDING PATTERN. RPTR RELATED THAT ONE ACR WAS A B757 AND DID NOT KNOW THE MAKE OF THE OTHER ACFT ONLY THE COMPANY. RPTR FELT THAT IF A CERTAIN SUPVR WAS ON DUTY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; THE LTSS WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED AS THE SUPVR HAS MORE INITIATIVE AND WOULD HAVE DELAYED THE RELEASE OF TFC BY THE TMU FROM THE OUTER FIXES. RPTR ALLEGES THE PROB HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED BUT THERE IS MORE DISCUSSION GOING ON. RPTR STATED THE CTLRS ARE AWARE OF THE SIT WITH THE TMU AND ARE INITIATING ACTION ON THEIR OWN FOR THE TMU TO NOT RELEASE TFC.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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