AN ARTCC RADAR CTLR CLAIMS THAT FLOW CTL DID NOT PROPERLY REDUCE TFC FLOW TRANSITING SECTOR AIRSPACE.

Date: 1997-04

Anomalies: other-unspecified

Synopsis

AN ARTCC RADAR CTLR CLAIMS THAT FLOW CTL DID NOT PROPERLY REDUCE TFC FLOW TRANSITING SECTOR AIRSPACE.

Narrative

ON APR/XX/97; SECTOR 34 WAS BEING ONE-HOLED DURING A MODERATE TO HVY RUSH OF TFC. ZLA SECTOR 34 RDP DENSITY CHART SHOWS FROM XU50Z TO XX06Z THE CTLR HAD AT THE MOST; TRACK CTL OF 6-8 ACFT. BTWN XX08Z TO XY20Z; THE NUMBER OF ACFT BEING WORKED HAD CLBED TO 10-13. SECTOR 34 ENTERS A RED STATUS AT 15 ACFT. WHY WASN'T A CTLR PUT IN ON THE D- SIDE TO HELP WITH THE WORKLOAD ENCOUNTERED AT THIS SECTOR? THIS FACILITY HAS HAD 2 OPERRORS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS BECAUSE A CTLR WAS ONE-HOLING A BUSY SECTOR. THESE OPERRORS HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE IN LA/ARTCC TO ONE-HOLE SECTORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IN SOME INSTANCES; THE SUPVR WAITS UNTIL A CTLR HAS TO YELL THAT THEY NEED ASSISTANCE BEFORE ANY ACTION IS TAKEN. IT WOULD SEEM APPROPRIATE TO PUT A CTLR ON THE D-SIDE FOR A FEW MINS TO HELP ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE SECTOR. IT WOULD BE HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE TO HAVE AN OPERROR AND THEN FIGURE OUT A D-SIDE COULD HAVE HELPED PREVENT THE ERROR. THE PRACTICE OF ONE-HOLING A SECTOR WITH MODERATE TO HVY TFC IS UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 383308: ON APR/XX/97; SECTOR 16 WAS BEING ONE-HOLED DURING A MODERATE TO HVY RUSH OF TFC. ZLA SECTOR 16 RDP DENSITY CHART SHOWS DURING A 15 MIN PERIOD FROM XY11Z TO XY26Z THE CTLR HAD BEEN WORKING 9 ACFT CONTINUOUSLY AND DURING 7 MINS OF THE 15 MIN PERIOD THE CTLR WAS WORKING 10-11 ACFT CONTINUOUSLY. DURING A 31 MIN PERIOD BTWN XY29Z TO XZ00Z; THE CTLR WORKED 8 ACFT CONTINUOUSLY. DURING 17 MINS OF THIS PERIOD THE CTLR WORKED 10 ACFT CONTINUOUSLY WITH THE WORKLOAD PEAKING AT 13 ACFT. DURING THIS 49 MIN PERIOD THE CTLR HAD WORKED 37 ACFT. DURING 24 MINS OF THIS PERIOD THE CTLR WORKED 10 ACFT CONTINUOUSLY WITH THE WORKLOAD PEAKING AT 13 ACFT. NOTE -- THE SECTOR WAS ONE-HOLED UNTIL XY58Z. WHY WASN'T A CTLR PUT IN ON THE D-SIDE TO HELP WITH THE WORKLOAD ENCOUNTERED AT THIS SECTOR? WHY IS A CTLR ALLOWED TO WORK THIS MUCH TFC WITHOUT A D-SIDE? THIS FACILITY HAS HAD 2 OPERRORS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS BECAUSE A CTLR WAS ONE-HOLING A BUSY SECTOR. THESE OPERRORS HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE IN LA/ARTCC TO ONE-HOLE SECTORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IN SOME INSTANCES; THE SUPVR WAITS UNTIL A CTLR HAS TO YELL THAT THEY NEED ASSISTANCE BEFORE ANY ACTION IS TAKEN. IT WOULD SEEM APPROPRIATE TO PUT A CTLR ON THE D-SIDE FOR A FEW MINS TO HELP ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE SECTOR. IT WOULD BE HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE TO HAVE AN OPERROR AND THEN FIGURE OUT A D-SIDE COULD HAVE HELPED PREVENT THE ERROR. THE PRACTICE OF ONE-HOLING A SECTOR WITH MODERATE TO HVY TFC IS UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.