ZAN CTLR DESCRIBED QUESTIONABLE RADAR IDENT PROCS INVOLVING ADS-B AND NON ADS-B EQUIPPED ACFT.

Date: 2006-12 · Aircraft: Beech 1900 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: other-ads-equip-procs

Synopsis

ZAN CTLR DESCRIBED QUESTIONABLE RADAR IDENT PROCS INVOLVING ADS-B AND NON ADS-B EQUIPPED ACFT.

Narrative

ACR X WAS DSNDING TO THE BETHEL (BET) TERMINAL AREA FOR APCH TO BETHEL FROM THE E. THE ACFT IS NOT ADS-B EQUIPPED. THE WX HAD BEEN BAD ALL DAY WITH MANY POP-UP IFR REQUESTS AND MUCH IFR TFC IN AND OUT OF BET. FORTUNATELY; AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; THERE WAS A LULL IN THE TFC FOR A SHORT PERIOD. THERE WERE SEVERAL ACFT IN THE AREA THAT HAD EITHER DEPARTED ON SPECIAL VFR CLRNCS OR HOLDING VFR FOR A SPECIAL INTO THE CLASS D/E AIRSPACE. THESE VFR ACFT WERE ADS-B EQUIPPED AND WERE ON THE RADAR SCOPE SQUAWKING 1200 VIA THE ADS-B CODE. ACR X DROPPED OFF THE RADAR APPROX 20 MI E OF BET. THE FLT WAS CLRED FOR APCH. WHEN THE RADAR CTLR REPOSITIONED THE DATA BLOCK; WHICH WAS A COAST TRACK; NOT PAINTED BY RADAR OR ADS-B; TO A SPOT ON THE RADAR NEAR THE ARPT; THE DATA BLOCK ACQUIRED ON ONE OF THE 1200 CODES NEAR THE ARPT. THE CTLRS REPOSITION NON-RADAR DATA BLOCKS ALL THE TIME AS A TECHNIQUE TO INDICATE TO THEMSELVES THAT THERE IS A NON-RADAR ACFT WHERE THEY ARE REPOSITIONING THE DATA BLOCK TO. THE ACR X DATA BLOCK BEGAN FLYING WBOUND FROM BET IN THE GREEN COLOR INDICATING IT WAS ADS-B EQUIPPED. THIS OCCURS WITH REGULARITY IN THE ADS-B AREA OF AK. THE FAA AUTOMATION CLASSIFIES THE PROB AS A 'M-EARTS' PROB. THIS DOES NOT OCCUR IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE 'M-EARTS' ALASKAN AIRSPACE THAT IS NON-ADS-B. IT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE FOR DATA BLOCKS TO HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF ACQUIRING ONTO ANOTHER ACFT. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE CAPABILITY IN ALL AREAS OF AIR TFC CTL AND SHOULD BE UNACCEPTABLE IN THE ADS-B AREA OF ALASKA.

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