MIA APCH CTLR EXPERIENCED LOSS OF SEPARATION ON FLL FINAL.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING AN EXTREMELY BUSY ARR PERIOD VECTORING TO RWY 27R AT FLL; FINAL APPROX 25 MILES LONG. ACFT X WAS ON AN ILS APCH. APPROX 7 MI FINAL ACFT X RECEIVED A TCAS CLB FOR UNKNOWN VFR TFC; INDICATED THAT THEY HAD CLBED TO 2500 FT; WERE TOO HIGH FOR THE APCH AND REQUESTED A 360 DEG TURN TO GET DOWN. I TOLD THE PLT I WAS TOO BUSY FOR A 360 DEG; AND ISSUED A R TURN TO 30 DEG; MAINTAIN AT OR BELOW 3000 FT FOR RESEQUENCING. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; I TURNED ACFT X R HDG 80 DEGS. I WORKED ON MAKING A HOLE ON FINAL FOR ACFT X; SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO OUT TO 25 MILES TO GET IN LINE; AT THIS POINT ACFT X WAS ABOUT 10 MILES NE OF FLL HDG 80 DEGS ASSIGNED (I ASSUMED). THERE WAS A B190 COMMUTER ON AN 8 MI FINAL TALKING TO THE TWR; AND ACFT Y AN A320; ON A 13 MI FINAL (ON MY FREQ CLRED FOR AN ILS APCH. I HAD MADE A HOLE FOR ACFT X BEHIND ACFT Y. THE FREQ WAS VERY BUSY AND I MADE SEVERAL XMISSIONS/VECTORS TO OTHER ACFT AFTER GIVING ACFT X THE 80 DEG HDG; AS I WENT TO ISSUE THE ACFT Y TFC/SEQUENCE TO ACFT X. I SAW ACFT X HAD TURNED BASE LEG AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES. TO VERIFY; I ASKED ACFT X IF THEY HAD IN FACT TURNED BASE AND THEY STUMBLED ON FREQ (REALIZING THEIR ERROR) AND SAID THEY WERE TURNING BACK TO AN 80 DEG HDG. I TOLD THEM NO-DO NOT TURN BACK; CONTINUE ON THE BASE AND POINTED OUT THE B190 TFC-2 O'CLOCK AND 1 MI; ACFT X CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT AND I TOLD ACFT X TO FOLLOW THE B190 AND CLRED THEM FOR A VISUAL APCH. I THEN WENT IMMEDIATELY TO ACFT Y AND CANCELLED THEIR APCH CLRNC AND TOLD THEM TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT ON THE LOCALIZER. NEXT; I NOTICE ACFT X TURNING AWAY FROM THE ARPT AND ASKED IF THEY WERE INBND AS THERE WAS STRAIGHT IN TFC ON THE LOCALIZER (ACFT Y). ACFT X REPLIED THAT THEY HAD ALREADY STARTED RETURNING TO THE ASSIGNED 80 DEG HDG; BUT WERE TURNING BACK. THESE BACK TO BACK ERRONEOUS ACTIONS BY ACFT X (FROM A 180 DEG HDG OR SO BASE THAT THEY TURNED ON THEIR OWN; TO A L TURN TO 80 DEGS-BASICALLY OUTBND ON THE LOCALIZER-CAUSED NOT ONLY A LOSS OF SEPARATION WITH ACFT Y; BUT NECESSITATED ME PULLING THE ACFT Z BEHIND ACFT Y OFF THE LOCALIZER FOR RESEQUENCING; AT A TIME I WAS SO BUSY; I DIDN'T NEED TO BE SEQUENCING ACFT TWICE. I THINK THERE WERE MULTIPLE CAUSES FOR THIS SIT; AND MANY LESSONS TO BE LEARNED. 1) I THINK THE ACFT X CREW WAS PERTURBED THAT THE VFR TFC THAT CAUSED THE TCAS CLB WAS NOT ISSUED. I WAS VECTORING NON-STOP AND DIDN'T SEE OR ISSUE THE TFC BEFORE THEY HAD ALREADY INITIATED THEIR CLB. 2) I THINK THE CREW CHOSE NOT TO CONTINUE THEIR APCH TO SHOW THEIR DISPLEASURE WITH MY NOT ISSUING THE TFC. AFTER THE TCAS TFC HAD PASSED; ACFT X WAS ON A 6-7 MI FINAL AT 2400 FT ONLY ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE THE GLIDESLOPE. ON A CLR VMC DAY IT MADE NO SENSE TO ME THAT THEY WOULDN'T CONTINUE THE APCH. 3) I'M SURE THERE'S AN FMS ISSUE HERE. THE CREW ANSWERED FOR; AND WAS OBSERVED HDG 80 DEGS. THE CREW WAS ALSO OBSERVED ON THE S (BASE LEG) HDG THEY INITIATED. THE CREW WAS TOLD SPECIFICALLY TO NOT TURN FROM THE BASE LEG BACK TO AN 80 DEGS HDG; CALLED THE B190 IN SIGHT; WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW THE B190 AN ACKNOWLEDGED; YET MYSTERIOUSLY TURNED L TO 80 DEGS ANYWAY COMPOUNDING AN ALREADY DICEY SIT. THE BIG LESSON I WOULD LIKE TO COMMUNICATE WITH PLTS; PARTICULARLY ACR CREWS IS THIS: 1) WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES! 99 PERCENT OF THEM CAN BE FIXED WITHOUT INCIDENT IF WE ALL JUST FESS UP TO IT. 2) ATC AND CTLRS ARE NOT 'OUT TO GET PLTS'. IN MY 21 YRS OF ATC; I HAVE SEEN ACR PLTS TURN SIMPLE SCREW UPS INTO MAJOR EVENTS IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO KEEP FROM GETTING IN TROUBLE. DID THIS ACFT X CREW (AND MANY OTHERS) THINK THAT IN THIS DAY AND AGE; IN A RADAR ENVIRONMENT; THAT THEY CAN TURN FROM AN 80 DEG HDG TO A 180 DEG HDG; FLY FOR 3 OR 4 MILES; REALIZE THEIR ERROR; TURN BACK TO AN 80 DEG HDG AND A) NO ONE WILL NOTICE; B) IT WON'T AFFECT OTHER TFC! 3) EVERY ACTION THIS CREW TOOK ON THEIR OWN; I WAS IMMEDIATELY TRYING TO SALVAGE THE SIT AT HAND AND MAKE IT WORK; WHEN CREWS AREN'T HONEST WITH ME; OR CONTINUE TO TRY AND 'CORRECT' THEIR ERROR; THEY ARE ONLY COMPOUNDING THE PROB--USUALLY (AS WAS IN THIS CASE) MAKING IT FAR WORSE THAN THE FIRST MISTAKE WAS BY A LONG SHOT. IN THIS SCENARIO; WHEN ACFT X TURNED BASE BY MISTAKE; ALL I HAD TO DO WAS CANCEL ACFT Y'S APCH CLRNC AND GIVE THEM AN S-TURN OFF THE LOCALIZER TO FOLLOW ACFT X IN THEIR 'ZEAL' TO FIX THEIR MISTAKE; ACFT X CAUSED NOT ONLY ACFT Y; BUT ACFT Z TO COME OFF THE LOCALIZER COMPLETELY AND HAVE TO GO BACK OUT TO A 30 MI FINAL; BUT I HAD TO HAVE MIAMI CENTER (ZMA) PUT SUBSEQUENT ARRIVALS INTO HOLDING BECAUSE I RAN OUT OF AIRSPACE AND COULDN'T ACCEPT ANY MORE ARRIVALS. WE ALL NEED TO BE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER AND COMMUNICATE; ACKNOWLEDGE WHEN WE MAKE A MISTAKE SO WE CAN FIX IT AND HELP EACH OTHER. I AM SURE THE ACFT X CREW WILL BE SENDING YOU THEIR OWN NASA RPT WITH THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON THIS EVENT. SEPARATION NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST IF ACFT X HAD JUST SAID 'YES; WE TURNED BASE BY MISTAKE; SORRY; WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO?' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR RESTATED THE FACTS OUTLINED IN THE RPT AS TO THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. HE REAFFIRMED HIS ASSUMPTION THAT FMS PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THIS INCIDENT. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THE ORIGINAL 80 DEG HDG WAS STILL SELECTED IN THE FMS WHEN THE ACFT WAS ON THE INCORRECT 180 DEG HDG AND THAT THE 80 DEG HDG WAS SELECTED AND SOMEHOW ACTIVATED VIA THE FMS INITIATING THE EBND TURN.