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An ATC supervisor reported that an initial entry altitude for a military training route is lower than the minimum altitude ATC is allowed to assign aircraft.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1400577 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201611 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZAN.ARTCC |
| State Reference | AK |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Globemaster (C-17) |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Other IR915 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Supervisor / CIC Enroute |
| Qualification | Air Traffic Control Fully Certified |
| Experience | Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 11.0 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Procedural Clearance Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT |
Narrative:
I was the front line manager when I observed a minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW); I went to the sector to enquire. I was told by the controller that aircraft X had been cleared at 10000 feet to fly the published altitudes of the IR915 at a entry point and to report a he was given exit instructions and the altitude was entered at 7000 feet for the exit. IR915 was published at 100 to 6200 feet at point a. The aircraft descended approximately 15 miles from point a where the controller tried to contact the aircraft. There was no response. When I saw the aircraft he was about to enter a 6700 foot minimum IFR altitude (mia). The controller issued a low altitude alert with no response. An attempt was made through another aircraft with again no response. The controller contacted eielson range control to see if they could contact the aircraft. I contacted the military operation specialist and he explained that the AP1B [manual] requires the air force to enter an instrument route (ir) at published altitude. I believe the controller's intent was for the aircraft to descend at point a.this is problematic as the mia is higher than the entry point altitude. This was going to be discussed at the FAA/military meeting today. At first look we began processing this as a pilot deviation as aircraft descended out of 10000 on its own prior to point a. Our quality control later came down the following day and advised that it may be classified as a loss of separation and would be discussed further. I advised the controller to file a [safety] report. I know we are reviewing all ir routes with mia's as a result of this event.briefing to controllers on the AP1B and its requirements in regards to ir routes. Check all mia vs ir entry and exit altitudes as they traditionally seem to be a bad communication area and below mia altitudes thus putting the controller in an unusual and sometimes complex situation.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An ATC Supervisor reported that an initial entry altitude for a military training route is lower than the minimum altitude ATC is allowed to assign aircraft.
Narrative: I was the Front Line Manager when I observed a Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW); I went to the sector to enquire. I was told by the controller that Aircraft X had been cleared at 10000 feet to fly the published altitudes of the IR915 at A entry point and to report A he was given exit instructions and the altitude was entered at 7000 feet for the exit. IR915 was published at 100 to 6200 feet at point A. The aircraft descended approximately 15 miles from point A where the controller tried to contact the aircraft. There was no response. When I saw the aircraft he was about to enter a 6700 foot Minimum IFR Altitude (MIA). The controller issued a low altitude alert with no response. An attempt was made through another aircraft with again no response. The controller contacted Eielson Range Control to see if they could contact the aircraft. I contacted the Military Operation Specialist and he explained that the AP1B [Manual] requires the Air Force to enter an Instrument Route (IR) at published altitude. I believe the controller's intent was for the aircraft to descend at point A.This is problematic as the MIA is higher than the entry point altitude. This was going to be discussed at the FAA/Military meeting today. At first look we began processing this as a Pilot Deviation as aircraft descended out of 10000 on its own prior to point A. Our Quality Control later came down the following day and advised that it may be classified as a loss of separation and would be discussed further. I advised the controller to file a [safety] report. I know we are reviewing all IR Routes with MIA's as a result of this event.Briefing to controllers on the AP1B and its requirements in regards to IR Routes. Check all MIA vs IR entry and exit altitudes as they traditionally seem to be a bad communication area and below MIA altitudes thus putting the controller in an unusual and sometimes complex situation.
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.