RPTR ALLEGES THE ZMA CTLR CLRED A TRAINING FLT FOR A PRACTICE NDB RWY 11R APCH AND AN IFR MIL C130 FOR A VOR RWY 11R APCH WITHOUT PROVIDING SEPARATION OR TA'S. BOTH ACFT WOULD CIRCLE TO RWY 4.

Date: 1997-11 · Aircraft: PA-34-220T Turbo Seneca III

Anomalies: other-no-specific-anomaly-occurred

Synopsis

RPTR ALLEGES THE ZMA CTLR CLRED A TRAINING FLT FOR A PRACTICE NDB RWY 11R APCH AND AN IFR MIL C130 FOR A VOR RWY 11R APCH WITHOUT PROVIDING SEPARATION OR TA'S. BOTH ACFT WOULD CIRCLE TO RWY 4.

Narrative

ZMA PROVIDES APCH CTL SVC. ZMA INSISTS THAT THEY NEED NOT PROVIDE SEPARATION SVCS TO VFR ACFT ON PRACTICE APCHS. ZMA PUTS A VFR PRACTICE APCH ACFT SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH AN IFR ACFT ON INTERSECTING APCHS WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A TA; THEN HANDS THEM OVER TO US. WE GET TO 'ORCHESTRATE' THE ENSUING EVASIVE MANEUVERING. THE SENECA WAS ON THE NDB RWY 11R APCH VERSUS THE C130 ON THE VOR RWY 11R APCH. THE KICKER TO ALL THIS IS THAT THE APCHS WERE TO CIRCLE TO RWY 4. SO; WHEN I GET THE 2 PLANES ON MY FREQ; SINCE THE PIPER IS TO THE R OF THE C130 AND THE C130 MUST TURN TO THE R; THE FIRST THING I MUST DO IS REVOKE THE APCH CLRNC AND TELL THE SENECA TO TURN R. THIS IS NO SVC TO THE SENECA AND DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF PRACTICE APCHS; ASIDE FROM BEING UNSAFE AND POOR CTL TECHNIQUE. IF I HAD A BRITE SCOPE I COULD SEE THIS SIT DEVELOPING SOONER AND FORMULATE A BETTER RESPONSE; BUT ZMA HAS RADAR AND CREATED THE SIT; SO THE ONLY 2 SOLUTIONS I CAN SEE ARE: 1) REVISE PRACTICE APCH HANDLING PROCS AT ZMA; OR 2) ESTABLISH A DEDICATED APCH CTL FACILITY FOR THE VERO BEACH/FORT PIERCE AREA. CTR HAS NO CLUE ABOUT TERMINAL AIRSPACE OPS. THIS OP MIGHT BE LEGAL; BUT IT'S ALSO STUPID.

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