B752 FLC RESPONDS TO A80 QUESTION ABOUT WX AVOIDANCE WHEN A80 THOUGHT THEY COULD LAND AHEAD OF THE WX.
Synopsis
B752 FLC RESPONDS TO A80 QUESTION ABOUT WX AVOIDANCE WHEN A80 THOUGHT THEY COULD LAND AHEAD OF THE WX.
Narrative
UPON ARR IN THE ATL TERMINAL AREA; WE ENCOUNTERED HVY ARR TFC; A NEARLY SATURATED ATC ENVIRONMENT AND A NUMBER OF DEVELOPING CUMULO NIMBUS CELLS. THE LARGEST CELL APPEARED DIRECTLY OVER THE ARPT. UNKNOWN TO US; DEPS HAD BEEN TERMINATED DUE TO WINDSHEAR RPTS ON DEP. HOWEVER; NEITHER ARR ATIS NOR ATC MADE NO MENTION OF THIS FACT AND APCHS CONTINUED. WE RECEIVED THE FIRST OF SEVERAL (5 IN ALL) WINDSHEAR AND MICROBURST ALERTS WHILE BEING VECTORED ON RADAR DOWNWIND; INDICATING AIRSPD LOSSES OF 35 KTS. THOSE MICROBURST ALERTS ARE COMPUTER GENERATED COMPANY-XMITTED WARNINGS FROM OUR COMPANY'S METEOROLOGY DEPT; DELIVERED VIA OUR COCKPIT ACARS. WE ELECTED TO DELAY OUR ARR UNTIL THE EXPIRATION OF THE MICROBURSTS. ALERT VALID TIME; APPROX 15 MINS. THIS ACTION PUZZLED ATC WHO ASKED WE CONTACT THEM LATER ABOUT THIS; AS ACFT WERE STILL ARRIVING AND NO RPTS OF WINDSHEAR ON APCH; YET WE REFUSED TO CONTINUE. WITHIN MINS; AN ACFT WENT AROUND FROM THE APCH RPTING A 35 KT LOSS ON FINAL WHILE OTHERS WERE THEN BROKEN OFF THE APCH. WITHIN SEVERAL MINS MORE; THE CELL MOVED OFF THE APCH PATH AND ARRS RESUMED UNEVENTFULLY; INCLUDING OURS. IN DISCUSSION WITH THE APCH CTL SUPERVISION AFTERWARDS; HE FELT WE DELAYED UNNECESSARILY AND WE COULD HAVE BEAT THE STORM TO THE ARR AND NOT COMPLICATED HIS AIRSPACE BY REFUSING TO BEGIN THE APCH TILL LATER. IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THAT PLAN OF ACTION; WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO SYSTEMATICALLY DISREGARD THE INFO WE RECEIVED IN NO LESS THAN 5 WINDSHEAR AND MICROBURST RPTS RECEIVED AND THE WRITTEN POLICY IN OUR COMPANY FOM. I FEEL THESE TDWR; COMPUTER-MONITORED AND GENERATED ALERTS FOR WINDSHEARS AND MICROBURSTS ARE VERY EFFECTIVE IN A HIGHLY DYNAMIC WX EVENT LIKE WE EXPERIENCED. UNFORTUNATELY; THIS SYS APPARENTLY GENERATES SUCH A NUMBER OF FALSE RPTS; ATC AND OTHERS REGULARLY DISREGARD THEM UNTIL AN ACTUAL RPTED EVENT OCCURS. OF COURSE; THE ONLY DOWN SIDE OF ENHANCING THEIR ARPT CAPACITY ISSUES THROUGH MEASURES LIKE THIS IS THE POTENTIAL OF RELIVING GREAT LOW POINTS IN AVIATION HISTORY -- EFFECTIVELY SETTING PROGRESS BACK 20 YRS.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.