Narrative:

On 6/90, at xx:30L, I was working the arrival east radar sector at kalamazoo approach control (FAA), kalamazoo, mi. At this time, FAA af (arwys facility) had removed the ARTS ii system from service for maintenance purposes. This was a planned outage that I had prepared moments before. During an ARTS ii outage I was to rely on the burroughs 10 channel beacon decoder for my secondary radar data. This decoder displays one or two additional beacon slashes with the beacon control slash for each interrogated target that is squawking the code subset selected on the master decoder. There are no alphanumerics associated with the decoder. At xx:34L, the 10 channel decoder failed. This was apparent in that all beacon targets were identical. I estimate 50-70 beacon targets on my display at the time, and service was being provided to 8 aircraft. Shortly it was discovered that the watch supervisor had 'given away' the 10 channel decoder to FAA af for 'just a min or two...' the outage lasted from 4-5 mins. During this outage I acquired 3 more departures and one overflt. Prior to the loss of the 10 channel decoder, the supervisor failed to coordination the decoder outage with me, and I was told that he had not left his desk to determine the workload/complexity factors present at my sector. The result of the supervisor's negligence and lack of coordination was an unexpected derogation of radar performance during an ARTS ii outage that could have easily contributed to a loss of sep error. There was no loss of sep. Another journeyman controller on a break saw the chaos at my sector and stepped in to help bail me out. The 10 channel decoder was eventually restored. Four nights later, in an effort to analyze this occurrence with my own supervisor (different supervisor), we tried to play back the audiotape of june X. There was nothing available on the tape for june. Either because of an operator error or an equipment malfunction, nothing was recorded the entire day of june X.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TRACON SUPVR RELEASED EQUIPMENT TO MAINTENANCE FOR ROUTINE SERVICE.

Narrative: ON 6/90, AT XX:30L, I WAS WORKING THE ARR E RADAR SECTOR AT KALAMAZOO APCH CTL (FAA), KALAMAZOO, MI. AT THIS TIME, FAA AF (ARWYS FAC) HAD REMOVED THE ARTS II SYSTEM FROM SVC FOR MAINT PURPOSES. THIS WAS A PLANNED OUTAGE THAT I HAD PREPARED MOMENTS BEFORE. DURING AN ARTS II OUTAGE I WAS TO RELY ON THE BURROUGHS 10 CHANNEL BEACON DECODER FOR MY SECONDARY RADAR DATA. THIS DECODER DISPLAYS ONE OR TWO ADDITIONAL BEACON SLASHES WITH THE BEACON CTL SLASH FOR EACH INTERROGATED TARGET THAT IS SQUAWKING THE CODE SUBSET SELECTED ON THE MASTER DECODER. THERE ARE NO ALPHANUMERICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DECODER. AT XX:34L, THE 10 CHANNEL DECODER FAILED. THIS WAS APPARENT IN THAT ALL BEACON TARGETS WERE IDENTICAL. I ESTIMATE 50-70 BEACON TARGETS ON MY DISPLAY AT THE TIME, AND SVC WAS BEING PROVIDED TO 8 ACFT. SHORTLY IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE WATCH SUPVR HAD 'GIVEN AWAY' THE 10 CHANNEL DECODER TO FAA AF FOR 'JUST A MIN OR TWO...' THE OUTAGE LASTED FROM 4-5 MINS. DURING THIS OUTAGE I ACQUIRED 3 MORE DEPS AND ONE OVERFLT. PRIOR TO THE LOSS OF THE 10 CHANNEL DECODER, THE SUPVR FAILED TO COORD THE DECODER OUTAGE WITH ME, AND I WAS TOLD THAT HE HAD NOT LEFT HIS DESK TO DETERMINE THE WORKLOAD/COMPLEXITY FACTORS PRESENT AT MY SECTOR. THE RESULT OF THE SUPVR'S NEGLIGENCE AND LACK OF COORD WAS AN UNEXPECTED DEROGATION OF RADAR PERFORMANCE DURING AN ARTS II OUTAGE THAT COULD HAVE EASILY CONTRIBUTED TO A LOSS OF SEP ERROR. THERE WAS NO LOSS OF SEP. ANOTHER JOURNEYMAN CTLR ON A BREAK SAW THE CHAOS AT MY SECTOR AND STEPPED IN TO HELP BAIL ME OUT. THE 10 CHANNEL DECODER WAS EVENTUALLY RESTORED. FOUR NIGHTS LATER, IN AN EFFORT TO ANALYZE THIS OCCURRENCE WITH MY OWN SUPVR (DIFFERENT SUPVR), WE TRIED TO PLAY BACK THE AUDIOTAPE OF JUNE X. THERE WAS NOTHING AVAILABLE ON THE TAPE FOR JUNE. EITHER BECAUSE OF AN OPERATOR ERROR OR AN EQUIP MALFUNCTION, NOTHING WAS RECORDED THE ENTIRE DAY OF JUNE X.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.