CTR CTLR RPT REGARDING PROX OF SKYDIVE ACFT TO ACR ACFT ON A STAR THAT PASSES THROUGH A JUMP ZONE. JUMP ZONE HAS EXISTED FOR YRS AND THE STAR RTE IS NEW. MANY CTLRS DISTURBED ABOUT THE SIT.
Synopsis
CTR CTLR RPT REGARDING PROX OF SKYDIVE ACFT TO ACR ACFT ON A STAR THAT PASSES THROUGH A JUMP ZONE. JUMP ZONE HAS EXISTED FOR YRS AND THE STAR RTE IS NEW. MANY CTLRS DISTURBED ABOUT THE SIT.
Narrative
C208 FOR NEARLY A YR HAS CLBED AND THROWN JUMPERS OUT OVER THE BYP2 ARR TO DFW. HE ROUTINELY CLBS ABOVE THE ALT AT WHICH HE INITIALLY STATES AND 'LOITERS' ON THE STAR AT ALTS JETS ARE DSNDING TO; AND HE KNOWS IT. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED. SINCE OCTOBER 1996; THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON. THE FAA IS AWARE OF IT AND DOES NOTHING. I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN OPERROR COME CLOSE TO WHAT WE ALLOW TO OCCUR ON A DAILY BASIS ON THE SEAVR-LO SECTOR. IT STRESSES THE HELL OUT OF ATC AND DOUBLES OR TRIPLES WORKLOAD. THIS WILL RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME AND WHEN IT IS INVESTIGATED THE FLYING PUBLIC WILL KNOW THE FAA LET IT HAPPEN. THE PLTS OF THOSE ACFT (SKYDIVE PLTS) SHOULD HAVE THEIR TICKETS PULLED. THEY KNOW THOSE JETS ARE THERE AND THEY CONTINUE TO FLY RIGHT INTO THE STAR. THEY ARE SO SLOW THEY CANNOT GET OUT OF THE WAY. PLEASE PRESSURE THE FAA TO ACT TODAY. SOME INNOCENT PEOPLE'S LIVES DEPEND ON IT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE IS NOT ALONE IN HIS SENSE OF THE NEED TO HAVE SOME CHANGE OCCUR. MOST OF THE CTLRS HAVE FILLED OUT RPTS TO MGMNT BUT NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. SOME ARE VERY CONCERNED WHEN ASSIGNED TO WORK THAT PARTICULAR SECTOR. WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY TCASII ALERTS ACTIVATING IT INDICATES A DEFINITE VIOLATION ON THE JUMP PLANE PLT'S PART. RPTR FEELS THE JUMPERS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE THERE AND THEY WERE THERE FIRST; BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO ENDANGER OTHER ACFT AND THEIR PAX. A SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED IS A DOG LEG IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF THE APCH. RPTR FEELS HOWEVER THAT THIS IS POOR BECAUSE THE PLTS WOULD HAVE TO BE CHANGING FREQS AND HAVE THEIR HEADS DOWN WHEN THEY NEED TO BE ALERT AND VERY HEADS UP. ANOTHER SUGGESTION WAS TO HAVE THE CTLRS VECTOR ACRS THROUGH THE AREA; BUT THAT ADDS TO THE WORKLOAD OF THE CTLRS WHO ARE ALREADY IN A VERY BUSY AIRSPACE. WHEN RPTR USED THE HOTLINE HE WAS TOLD THAT FAA HAS FOUND A VIABLE SOLUTION TO THE PROB AND FEELS HE WAS REALLY 'BLOWN OFF.' RPTR FEELS STRONGLY ENOUGH ABOUT THE SIT THAT HE HAS WRITTEN HIS CONGRESSMAN. ONLY RESPONSE SO FAR IS THAT THEY RECEIVED HIS LETTER. HE HAS REQUESTED THAT SOMEONE FROM FSDO COME TO THE CTR AND SIT ON THE POS TO BECOME FULLY AWARE OF WHAT THE SIT REALLY IS. NO ACTION YET. HE IS STRIVING FOR A SOLUTION THAT WORKS AND WILL NOT PUT ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD ON THE CTLRS. RPTR'S SUGGESTION IS TO MOVE THE VOR SO THAT THE APCH DOES NOT IMPACT THE LONG ESTABLISHED JUMP ACTIVITY. THIS WILL BE VERY COSTLY; BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED INITIALLY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.