A80 CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR DURING MULTIPLE GAR'S DUE TO WINDSHEAR; FAILING TO FOCUS ON PERTINENT TFC AND USING MULTIPLE DISPLAYS.

2007-09 · NASA ASRS report 754258

Date: 2007-09 · Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng · Phase: landing

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

A80 CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR DURING MULTIPLE GAR'S DUE TO WINDSHEAR; FAILING TO FOCUS ON PERTINENT TFC AND USING MULTIPLE DISPLAYS.

Narrative

WHILE WORKING MON-O I OBSERVED THE WX APCHING FROM THE S. ONE OF THE ACFT THAT ENDED UP ON RWY 9R WAS A GAR DUE TO MICROBURST ALERT TO RWY 10. THE WX WAS MOVING AND IT WAS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE ACFT ON THE OTHER RWYS WERE GOING TO GO AROUND. I DID ADVISE A FLM OF THIS FACT AND THAT THESE 3 ACFT MAY ALSO GO AROUND DUE TO THE WX AND AN ASDE-X FAILURE. ACR X EXECUTED A MISSED APCH INSIDE 1 MI TO RWY 9R DUE TO RADAR INDICATED MICROBURST OF -40K ON A 2 MI FINAL. ACR Y (MD88) JUST OUTSIDE THE FAF AND ACR Z ON A 12 MI FINAL SUBSEQUENTLY SAID THAT THEY WANTED TO GO AROUND. I ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WERE 3 GAR'S ON THE S SIDE. I INSTRUCTED ACR Y TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT AND TRACK THE LOC. I CANCELED ACR Z APCH CLRNC AND TURNED HIM SBOUND. SINCE I DID NOT SEE THE APCH WALL FLM I INITIATED A CALL TO LC4 TO ASK WHETHER HE WAS GOING STRAIGHT OUT OR SBOUND WITH ACR X; THERE WAS MICROBURST ALERTS OFF THE DEP END OF THE RWY ALSO. HE INDICATED THAT HE WANTED TO GO SBOUND BUT HE THOUGHT THE TWR FLM WANTED HIM TO GO STRAIGHT OUT (LC4 HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR FLM). NOT HAVING THE WX DEPICTED AT MY POS AND UNABLE TO SEE AN APCH FLM I TOLD LC4 WHATEVER HE NEEDED. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO A 180 DEG HDG AND 3500 FT. I CANCELED ACR Z APCH CLRNC AND TURNED HIM R TO 180 DEGS AND CLBED TO 4000 FT. THE APCH FLM WALKED BEHIND ME AND I ADVISED HIM THAT ALL THE ACFT WERE BEING TURNED SBOUND. I WAS UNABLE TO SEE ACR X FROM THE PRM SCOPE AND HIS TAG HAD CHANGED TO AN 'S' TAG ON THE BRITE ABOVE THE PRM SCOPES MAKING HIM A LIMITED DATA BLOCK. THEREFORE I WENT TO THE 'L' SCOPE TO SEE THE ACFT AND SPLAT THEM TO SATELLITE. I RETURNED TO MON-O TO CALL SAT FROM THE RDVS AND RECEIVED A POINTOUT FROM THE SAT HDOF. I CALLED ACR X TWICE TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 5000 FT. THEN LC4 TOLD ME THAT HE HAD SWITCHED HIM TO DEP; I MISSED THE FREQ CHANGE WHILE I WAS MOVING FROM MY POS TO ANOTHER SCOPE (BECAUSE THE PRM SCOPE DOES NOT DEPICT WX AND I COULDN'T SEE THE ACFT ON THE BRITE SCOPE ABOVE THE PRM SCOPE) AND COORDINATING WITH OTHER POS. I WENT BACK TO MON-O POS AND ASKED DEP-S IF THEY WERE TALKING TO ACR X AND HE SAID NO. I UNKEYED THE RDVS AND WHEN I RETURNED TO THE 'L' SCOPE; ACR X AND ACR Y WERE CONVERGING AT 4000 FT. THE DATA TAGS WERE OVERLAPPED AND I ATTEMPTED TO ISSUE A TFC ALERT BUT I ISSUED IT TO THE WRONG ACFT. AT THIS POINT I FIND OUT THAT AR-O IS WORKING ACR X SO I GO TO HIS POS AND TURN ACR Z AND ACR Y WBOUND AND SWITCH THEM TO THE AR-O CTLR. LESSONS LEARNED: DON'T WORK IF I'M NOT FEELING 100%. MGMNT KNEW I WAS SICK AND HAD ME WORK MON-O. THEY PREFERRED THAT I DO THAT INSTEAD OF GOING HOME ON SICK LEAVE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S TFC UNTIL I'VE GOT A HANDLE ON MY OWN. WORK MY TFC FROM MY POS WITH THE EQUIP THE FAA HAS PROVIDED ME.

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

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