IND CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR AT 5000 WITH TWO ACFT ON CONVERGING COURSES; CITING WX AND TFC VOLUME/COMPLEXITY AS CAUSAL FACTORS.
Synopsis
IND CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR AT 5000 WITH TWO ACFT ON CONVERGING COURSES; CITING WX AND TFC VOLUME/COMPLEXITY AS CAUSAL FACTORS.
Narrative
REASON I FEEL THIS SITUATION OCCURRED: 1) STAFFING -- ONLY 12 CTLRS SCHEDULED FOR THIS EVENING SHIFT WHICH USED TO BE THE NORMAL NUMBER FOR A STANDARD NIGHT SHIFT; WHICH ON A NORMAL NIGHT SHIFT IS NOT CONSIDERED BUSY. PREVIOUSLY THIS EVENING SHIFT WAS ASSIGNED 15 CTLRS. 2) NO COORDINATOR -- AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE THE TFC WAS VERY COMPLEX DUE TO WX IN THE AREA AND WHEN HELP WAS NEEDED THERE WAS NO EXTRA PERSON TO COME OVER TO THE POS TO HELP WITH COORD OR TO ASSIST IN WORKING OR WATCHING THE TFC. 3) EQUIP NOT WORKING -- THE FLT PRINTERS FOR THE POS I WAS WORKING; WHICH WAS DEP E RADAR WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WHAT WAS HAPPENING WAS MY FLT STRIP INFO WAS BEING SENT TO ANOTHER POS; WHICH WAS DEP W RADAR. WHAT THIS MEANT IS THAT I WAS TALKING TO ACFT BEFORE I KNEW THEIR RTE OF FLT WHICH MAKES THE POS MUCH MORE COMPLEX. 4) WX -- WHEN I TOOK THE POS THERE WERE TSTMS THAT WERE ENCOMPASSING THE E DEP GATE WHICH MEANT THAT THE E DEPS OFF IND WOULD NOT GO THAT WAY WITHOUT DEVIATING. WHEN THIS OCCURS THIS MAKES THE POS VERY COMPLEX. 5) NO TMU -- EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS KNOWN WX IN THE AREA NO TFC MGMNT WAS INSTITUTED BY THE SUPVR. NOTHING WAS COORDINATED WITH THE TWR TO CTL THE TFC GOING E. 6) NO SUPVR IN THE TRACON -- THERE WAS NO MGMNT OFFICIAL OR SUPVR IN THE TRACON DURING THIS OCCURRENCE. A CIC OR CTLR IN CHARGE WAS OVERSEEING THE TRACON; WHICH REDUCED EVEN MORE AVAILABLE CTLRS. ACR X CAME OFF OF THE ARPT. I DID NOT HAVE FLT PLAN INFO ON THE ACFT AND ISSUED RADAR CONTACT. COMPLEXITY WAS INCREASING BECAUSE OF THE EFSTS FAILURE (FLT STRIP) AND WX DEVS. I THEN CALLED LCLE TO STOP ALL E DEPS. I TURNED ACFT Z TO A 050 DEG HDG TO TRY TO GET AWAY FROM DEP TFC. I ISSUED A HDG TO EBOUND JET TFC AND THEN CLBED ACFT W; AN EBOUND PROP. SUBSEQUENTLY; ACFT Y CAME OFF OF THE ARPT. I DID NOT HAVE FLT PLAN INFO AND ISSUED RADAR CONTACT. I THEN RECEIVED THE FLT PROGRESS STRIP FOR ACFT X AND I TURNED THE ACFT TO A 090 DEG HDG. I THEN GAVE ACFT Z A HDG OF 050 DEGS. I THEN GOT THE STRIP FOR ACFT Y AND CLBED THE ACFT TO 050. I NOTICED ACFT Y AND ACFT X ON CONVERGING COURSES AND ACFT X AT 050 AND ACFT Y AT 040. I TOLD ACFT Y TO MAINTAIN 040 AND HE REPLIED 'MAINTAIN 040; WE WERE CLRED TO 050 AND WE WILL GO BACK DOWN TO 040.' I NOTICED ACFT Y STILL CLBING SO I CLBED ACFT X TO 060 IMMEDIATELY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.