ZDV CTLR EXPERIENCED CONFLICT DURING BUSY TFC PERIOD CITING LACK OF SUFFICIENT CURRENCY TO HANDLE SECTOR AND FACILITY TRAINING POLICY AS FACTORS.

Date: 2006-11

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|other-trng-policy

Synopsis

ZDV CTLR EXPERIENCED CONFLICT DURING BUSY TFC PERIOD CITING LACK OF SUFFICIENT CURRENCY TO HANDLE SECTOR AND FACILITY TRAINING POLICY AS FACTORS.

Narrative

I AM CURRENTLY A TRAINING FPL INVOLVED IN ZDV'S ATTEMPT TO RECONFIGURE FROM 5 AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION TO 6. MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION OF THE TRAINING I HAVE RECEIVED TO DATE IS THAT; IT HAS BEEN VERY POOR AND INCONSISTENT. IN MAY/2006; I WAS CERTIFIED ON DENVER SECTOR 14. BTWN MAY AND THE END OF AUGUST; I WAS AFFORDED LIMITED OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THE SECTOR I WAS NEWLY CERTIFIED ON. THIS WAS DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF CTLRS TRAINING ON SECTOR 14 AS WELL AS THE NECESSITY OF ME TO STAFF OTHER SECTORS THAT I AM CERTIFIED ON. IN AUGUST; I WAS ASSIGNED 'CURRENCY TIME' ON SECTOR 14. WHEN I RPTED FOR DUTY; I NOTICED THAT THE SECTOR WAS GOING TO BE 'RED' IN 75 MINS. I NOTIFIED THE SUPVR THAT I HAVE HAD LIMITED CHANCES TO WORK THE SECTOR SINCE I HAD BEEN CERTIFIED AND THAT IT WOULD BE BEST IF I MOVED TO THE RADAR ASSOCIATE POS AND A MORE EXPERIENCED CTLR TAKE THE RADAR. THE SUPVR CONCURRED WITH MY OPINION AND PLANNED ACCORDINGLY. AT SOME POINT; THE FIRST SUPVR I HAD SPOKEN TO WAS RELIEVED AND A NEW SUPVR TOOK OVER. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE; THE RELIEVING SUPVR WAS BRIEFED AS TO THE SITUATION ON SECTOR 14. AT APPROX 75 MINS INTO MY SESSION ON SECTOR 14 RADAR; A TRAINING TEAM WAS ASSIGNED TO SECTOR 14 RADAR ASSOCIATE POS. I WAS EXPECTED TO WORK THE 'RED' PERIOD ON SECTOR 14 RADAR DESPITE WHAT HAD PREVIOUSLY TRANSPIRED BTWN MYSELF AND THE SUPVR. BY NOW; THE SECTOR WAS BEING IMPACTED BY TSTMS; AND BY THE TIME I WAS RELIEVED THE SECTOR BECAME COMPLETELY UNMANAGEABLE. THERE WAS A HVY ARR RUSH GOING ON WITH NUMEROUS WX DEVS. WE RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE FROM TFC MGMNT OR SURROUNDING SECTORS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE ONE CONFLICT BTWN A DENVER ARRIVING ACFT AND AN OVERFLT ACFT; I INADVERTENTLY DSNDED THE DEN ARR INTO CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER OVERFLT ACFT. THE PLT OVER THE OVERFLT DID RPT RECEIVING AN RA BUT; SEPARATION WAS NOT LOST. THE SEQUENCE FOR THE DENVER ARRIVING ACFT WAS POORLY HANDLED BY ME. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE LACK OF OPPORTUNITY I HAD TO BECOME MORE EXPERIENCED AND PROFICIENT ON SECTOR 14 RADAR. THE ZDV PLAN REQUIRED CTLRS TO STAY CURRENT AND PROFICIENT ON 12 SECTORS; TO TRAIN AND BE TRAINED ON THE SAME SHIFT; TO TRAIN ON EXTENDED PERIODS OF LOW VOLUME TFC IN ORDER TO 'GET TIME.' I HAVE EXPRESSED MY PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS TO VARIOUS MEMBERS OF MGMNT AT ZDV. THIS HAS NOT CHANGED THE MANNER IN WHICH TRAINING IS BEING CONDUCTED. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE; MGMNT INTENDS TO 'FLIP THE SWITCH' ON AREA 6 IN JAN/2007. I CONTEND THIS WILL RESULT IN A SERIOUS DEGRADATION OF SAFETY AT ZDV.

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