Narrative:

Multiple aircraft checking in with the wrong ATIS code. A pilot reported that he received a message from his company that there was a problem with the digital ATIS potentially originating with ACARS. There was no information put out from ATC and there should have been. Pilots were checking in with incorrect ATIS codes and could have checked in with information echo with wrong information from who knows when; when it could have actually been current. They were also reporting that the altimeter was off by almost 50/100. There should have been some information distributed to ATC. This was a serious matter as that many degress equals 500 feet! Pilots are allowed to use ACARS as an approved way to get airport information. Who is responsible for letting ATC know when that system is inaccurate? And if it is inaccurate who shuts it down so the pilot only gets the ATIS from the local frequency. A pilot relayed to me that his company let him know. I should be the one telling him know that it is inaccurate; not the other way around! I recommend someone within ATC takes charge of this and reports to [domestic event network control center] when it is not working properly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SDF Controller reports that numerous aircraft were reporting in with an incorrect ATIS code which they had received from ACARS. Controller was confused as to why he didn't know about this.

Narrative: Multiple aircraft checking in with the wrong ATIS code. A pilot reported that he received a message from his company that there was a problem with the digital ATIS potentially originating with ACARS. There was no information put out from ATC and there should have been. Pilots were checking in with incorrect ATIS codes and could have checked in with information ECHO with wrong information from who knows when; when it could have actually been current. They were also reporting that the altimeter was off by almost 50/100. There should have been some information distributed to ATC. This was a serious matter as that many degress equals 500 feet! Pilots are allowed to use ACARS as an approved way to get airport information. Who is responsible for letting ATC know when that system is inaccurate? And if it is inaccurate who shuts it down so the pilot only gets the ATIS from the local frequency. A pilot relayed to me that his company let him know. I should be the one telling him know that it is inaccurate; not the other way around! I recommend someone within ATC takes charge of this and reports to [Domestic Event Network Control Center] when it is not working properly.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.