ZFW CTLR EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING TMU'S DECISION TO RELEASE A DFW ARR OFF TYR WHEN DFW ARR'S WERE IN HOLDING; ADDING POS COMPLEXITY.
Synopsis
ZFW CTLR EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING TMU'S DECISION TO RELEASE A DFW ARR OFF TYR WHEN DFW ARR'S WERE IN HOLDING; ADDING POS COMPLEXITY.
Narrative
2 SECTORS WERE HOLDING ACFT LNDG DFW INTL. DELAYS WERE EXCEEDING 30 MINS. THE NUMBER OF ACFT HOLDING OR BEING SEQUENCED EXCEEDED 10; AND THERE WERE OTHER OVERFLTS AND TERMINAL ARRS INVOLVED. THERE WERE DIVERSIONS INTO TYR DUE TO FUEL CONCERNS. MEANWHILE; ZFW TMU HAD INITIATED A RELEASE FOR A JET DEP FROM TYR TO DFW. MY SUPVR INFORMED ME OF THIS; AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF MY SUPVR; I CALLED TYR TWR AND TOLD THEM TO HOLD FOR RELEASE ALL DFW ACFT BECAUSE OF AIRBORNE HOLDING. THE RADAR TEAM WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT DFW REFUSING HDOFS; SO THE RELEASE WOULD ONLY AGGRAVATE THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SECTOR. TYR CALLED BACK MINS LATER AND SAID THAT ZFW TMU TOLD THEM TO RELEASE THE ACFT. I ONCE AGAIN TOLD THEM TO HOLD FOR RELEASE AND EXPECT A 15 MIN DELAY DUE TO HOLDING. THIS WAS VERY DISTRACTING. MY SUPVR WAS CALLED BY TMU NOT LONG AFTER; AND INSISTED I RELEASE THIS ACFT. TMU UNDERMINED THE SECTOR TEAM'S JUDGEMENT; NOT CONSIDERING THE ACFT STILL IN HIGH ALT. AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT; I CALLED TYR AND TOLD THEM TO RELEASE THE ACFT AND ADVISE THE PLT TO EXPECT HOLDING. AT LEAST 10 MINS LATER; THE ACFT DEPARTED. TYR OFFERED TO HOLD HIM IN THEIR AIRSPACE AS THEY KNEW THE COMPLEXITY OF OUR SITUATION. THE ACFT WAS ASSIGNED 5000 FT AND HELD AT FZT VOR. AS EXPECTED; THE ACFT NEEDED HIGHER; AND WE ASSIGNED HIM 10000 FT AND A HDG OF 210 DEGS (90 DEGS AWAY FROM DFW). THE ACFT CONTINUED S UNTIL WE COULD SEQUENCE HIM WITH OTHER ARRS. THE PREVIOUS EVENT CREATED CONFUSION AND CONTROVERSY THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO A COMPROMISE OF SAFETY. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD TMU BE INVOLVED IN CTL INSTRUCTIONS OF ACFT. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE REORGANIZATION OF TMU. ZFW TMU NO LONGER ANSWERS TO ZFW; BUT TO THE COMMAND CTR. THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT CONCERNS ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TMU SINCE THIS CHANGE. THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IS NOW ONE THAT IS ONLY CONCERNED OF EFFICIENCY; NOT SAFETY. TMU; SUPVRS; AND CTLRS CAN NO LONGER FORMULATE PLANS THAT ARE BOTH SAFE AND EFFICIENT. THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE CURRENT SYS. FURTHERMORE; THERE ARE NO AFTER-ACTION REVIEWS IN WHICH WE CAN (AS A GROUP) LEARN FROM. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS EVENTS LIKE THIS ONE; AND THEY ARE FORGOTTEN ONLY BECAUSE THE RESULTS WERE NOT CATASTROPHIC. WE CANNOT SAFELY OPERATE IN THIS MANNER. I STRONGLY SUGGEST A CHANGE IN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO PREVENT DISASTER. BLENDING THE NATL COMMAND CTR AND TMU HAS PROVEN TO COMPROMISE SAFETY AND SVC.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.