AN MD-S80 CAPT RPTED THAT THE CTAS AT DFW; WHICH IS A COMPUTER DEVELOPED TO MAKE RWY USAGE MORE EFFICIENT; FORCED HIM TO LAND ON A LESS THAN IDEAL RWY EVEN WHEN HE MADE VERBAL REQUESTS OF EACH CTLR TO SWITCH RWYS.

Date: 2000-02 · Aircraft: MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model

Anomalies: other-ctas-problem

Synopsis

AN MD-S80 CAPT RPTED THAT THE CTAS AT DFW; WHICH IS A COMPUTER DEVELOPED TO MAKE RWY USAGE MORE EFFICIENT; FORCED HIM TO LAND ON A LESS THAN IDEAL RWY EVEN WHEN HE MADE VERBAL REQUESTS OF EACH CTLR TO SWITCH RWYS.

Narrative

COMING IN FROM THE GLEN ROSE CORNERPOST APCH ASSIGNED US RWY 17C. WE ADVISED THEM THAT WE WERE PARKING ON THE W SIDE AND ASKED FOR RWY 18R. APCH TOLD US THAT 'THE COMPUTER' PICKED RWY 18R AND THAT WE HAD TO USE IT TO LAND. WHEN WE TURNED DOWNWIND; WE WERE HANDED OVER TO THE FINAL APCH CTLR AND ASKED FOR RWY 18R AGAIN AND HE ALSO REITERATED THAT WE NEEDED TO STAY WITH RWY 18R. WE WERE TURNED ON A 10 MI BASE AT 6000 FT AND WERE ASKED TO STAY AT THAT ALT SO A B757 COMING IN FROM THE E COULD PASS UNDER US AND LAND ON RWY 18R. WE WERE ALSO TOLD TO FLY AT LEAST 180 KTS TO THE MARKER FOR TFC THAT WOULD BE FOLLOWING US TO RWY 17C. THIS COMBINATION LEFT US HIGH AND FAST AND BARELY MADE THE DSCNT PARAMETERS FOR A STABILIZED APCH. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF A 'HUMAN' WAS MAKING THE DECISIONS THE LOGICAL CHOICE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO HAVE THE B757 LAND ON THE E AND US TO LAND ON THE W. I REALIZE THAT THE COMPUTER IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE ARPT MORE EFFICIENT BUT; IF IT MAKES A POOR CHOICE THE CTLRS SHOULD OVERRIDE IT INSTEAD OF BECOMING DEPENDENT UPON IT.

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