1998-10 · NASA ASRS report 417593
ARTCC RADAR CTLR CONCERNED WITH FALSE TARGETS DISPLAYING TSTMS IN LOCATIONS WHERE THERE ARE NONE RPTED. FALSE TARGETS ALSO INCLUDE INCORRECT POSITIONING OF TRACKED ACFT.
THE RADAR IN THE VICINITY OF GTF HAS BEEN DISPLAYING FALSE TSTMS FOR MONTHS. THE FACILITY DOES NOT SEEM TO THINK THIS IS A PROB. THIS IS THE SAME AREA THAT WAS SHOWING FALSE TARGETS UNTIL ONE OF THE FALSE TARGETS TURNED OUT TO BE A REAL ACFT THAT WAS IN CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER. THERE IS A HISTORY HERE OF NOT FIXING EQUIP UNTIL AFTER A PROB HAS OCCURRED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAS FILED A FACILITY UCR. HE STATES THAT THIS ONGOING PROB APPEARED NOT TO BE RESOLVED WITH FIRST LINE SUPVRS. ANY TIME THE PROB WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTN OF THE SHIFT MAINT TECHNICIAN; IT NEVER APPEARED TO HAVE FOLLOW THROUGH FROM ONE SHIFT TO THE NEXT. THE CTLR ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NO DOCUMENTATION VEHICLE IN PLACE FOR SHIFT-TO-SHIFT TRACKING; FURTHER COMPLICATING THE PROCESS. THE PRINCIPAL PROB WITH THE GTF RADAR SITE SEEMS TO BE THE ERRONEOUS DISPLAY OF TSTMS. THE CTLR'S CONCERN THAT SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE DISPLAYED DAILY ALONG ONE AREA; THE CTLRS MOSTLY DON'T ADVISE ACFT TRACKING THROUGH THE AREA. HE BELIEVES THAT ONE DAY THERE WILL BE SOMETHING THERE; AND NOT MENTIONED; AND A SIT WILL HAPPEN AND THE CTLR WILL BE BLAMED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH FACILITY SPECIALIST REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: FACILITY SPECIALIST ADVISED THAT HE WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROB THE DAY THE CTLR FILED HIS UCR. HIS INVESTIGATION DETERMINED A PROB WITH FALSE WX RADAR RETURNS EXISTED. COORD WITH RADAR MAINT AND AUTOMATION IDENTED A RESOLUTION. THE ASSOCIATED RADAR SORT BOX PRIMARY RADAR RETURN WOULD BE CHANGED. THE SECONDARY RADAR SITE WOULD BE MADE FIRST; THE PRIMARY (GTF) WOULD BE MADE SECONDARY. THESE CHANGES WOULD BE INCORPORATED IN THE NEXT NAS AUTOMATION SYS UPDATE IN DEC/98.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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