ZJX CTLR DESCRIBED EVENT WHEN SECTOR NOTIFICATION FAILURES RESULTED IN NUMEROUS WARNING AREA AIRSPACE INTRUSIONS.

Date: 2008-07 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: other-special-use-airspace

Synopsis

ZJX CTLR DESCRIBED EVENT WHEN SECTOR NOTIFICATION FAILURES RESULTED IN NUMEROUS WARNING AREA AIRSPACE INTRUSIONS.

Narrative

I WAS WORKING NEPTA (R30) POS ALONE AS THE RADAR CTLR. I TOOK RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SECTOR AT XA56Z AND WAS BRIEFED BY THE CTLR AT THAT TIME THAT WARNING AREA 155 WAS COLD AND ONLY WARNING AREA 151 WAS ACTIVE IN THE SECTOR. I AS WELL CHKED THE STATUS INFO AREA SCREEN IN MY AREA DURING MY BRIEFING AND NOTICED THAT IN THE 'SUA' COLUMN; ONLY WARNING AREA 151 HAD A POSTED ACTIVE TIME WITH APPROPRIATE ALT. THE AREA FOR WARNING AREA 155 WAS LEFT BLANK. DURING THE HR 50 MINS I WORKED THE SECTOR; I CLRED MULTIPLE ACR'S THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF WARNING AREA 155 SINCE I WAS NOT AWARE THAT IT WAS ACTIVE. WHEN I BEGAN MY RELIEF BRIEFING AT APPROX XB40Z I LOOKED AT THE STATUS INFO AREA AND NOTICED THAT A SCHEDULED TIME WAS ENTERED IN FOR W155 ALPHA AND BRAVO PORTIONS TO BEGIN AT XB30Z. SOMEONE HAD ENTERED IN THE TIME AFTER THE AIRSPACE WENT ACTIVE; BUT DID NOT ALERT THE CTLRS WORKING THE APPROPRIATE SECTORS. AFTER BEING RELIEVED; I SPOKE TO THE CTLRS WORKING AT BREWTON (ZJX 11) ABOUT THE ISSUE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE SAME SITUATION HAD HAPPENED TO THEM. THEY WERE NOT ALERTED TO THE WARNING AREA 155 SCHEDULE TIME UNTIL A NEW RELIEF BRIEFING HAD BEGUN. DURING THEIR SESSION AT THE SECTOR; THEY AS WELL CLRED ACR THROUGH THE ACTIVE AIRSPACE AT THE SECTOR; THEY AS WELL CLRED ACR THROUGH THE ACTIVE AIRSPACE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT IT WAS NOT ACTIVE. THEY AS WELL WERE NOT ALERTED BY THE SUPVR WHO ENTERED THE SCHEDULE TIME ON THE STATUS INFO AREA. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SITUATION IS HIGHLY UNSAFE. APPROPRIATE CTLRS SHOULD ALWAYS BE ALERTED IF SUA IS SCHEDULED TO GO ACTIVE. THEY SHOULD BE NOTIFIED BEFORE THIS AIRSPACE IS ACTIVE.

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