MEM TRACON CTLR NOTES ZME CTLR'S INCORRECT FREQ ASSIGNMENTS AND AUTOMATION HDOF ERRORS.
Synopsis
MEM TRACON CTLR NOTES ZME CTLR'S INCORRECT FREQ ASSIGNMENTS AND AUTOMATION HDOF ERRORS.
Narrative
I'M MAKING A CONTINUING COMPLAINT ABOUT HOW ZME CONDUCTS BUSINESS AS THEY CTL ACFT AS THEY ENTER MEM APCH CTL AIRSPACE. THE WX THIS AFTERNOON WAS MARGINAL WITH TSTM ACTIVITY. AIR TFC WAS VERY BUSY DURING THE MIXED OUTBOUND PUSH WITH ARRS. THE MAIN COMPLAINT IS THAT ZME DOES NOT KNOW MEM AIRSPACE AND CONSTANTLY SWITCHES ACFT TO THE 'WRONG' FREQS AS THEY ENTER MEM AIRSPACE. ALL POS WERE OPEN AND STAFFED WITHIN MEM APCH. AN INBOUND ACFT TO A SATELLITE ARPT (OLV) WAS AT 4000 FT AND DUE E OF MEM ARPT. THIS ALT AND LOCATION PLACES THE ACFT IN A 'PERFECT' ARR AIRSPACE LOCATION. THIS ACFT 'FLASHED' TO THE E DEP CTLR WHICH IS 'INCORRECT!' I CALLED THE HLI LOW SECTOR AND TOLD THEM THAT THE ACFT WAS 'FLASHING' TO THE DEP POS INSTEAD OF THE APPROPRIATE ARR POS. THE ZME CTLR OFFERED THE USUAL EXCUSE OF 'I SWITCH THE ACFT TO WHERE THE COMPUTER SENDS THEM.' THE OTHER DAY A DIFFERENT ZME SECTOR CTLR RESPONDED WITH 'I SWITCH THEM TO WHERE THE 'LETTER' SAYS TO.' THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE CORRECT FREQ IS TO SWITCH ACFT TO IF NOT A 4 CORNER POST ARR ACFT DURING INBOUND PUSHES. AND THEY ONLY MAKE EXCUSES AND DON'T CARE. AUTOMATION NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED AND ZME CTLRS NEED TO BE TRAINED TO KNOW MEM AIRSPACE AND THE APPROPRIATE POS FREQS. ACFT BOTH IFR AND VFR CALL INCORRECT MEM POS AND ARE INSTRUCTED TO SQUAWK VFR CODES BECAUSE OF BUSY AIR TFC PERIODS. AT TIMES; POS ARE COMBINED AND THEN DECOMBINED WITHIN MEM APCH/DEP CTL. SO; THE EXCUSE OF AUTOMATION DOES NOT FLY. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN MEM APCH/DEP POS WHEN DECOMBINED HAVE NO IDEA WHAT FREQS ACFT ARE ON. I HAVE SEEN WHERE ACFT HAVE BEEN FLOWN THROUGH LOC COURSES; ETC; BECAUSE OF BEING PLACED ON THE WRONG FREQS BY ZME. 'WRONG FREQS MAKE FOR UNSAFE SITUATIONS!'
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.