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ATCT local controller's primary and secondary radar system failed.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 160750 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199010 |
| Day | Tue |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : pit |
| State Reference | PA |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : local |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller radar : 3 |
| ASRS Report | 160750 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
At approximately XX40 local time, I was working local control 2 position at pit ATCT when a complete radar system, both primary and secondary, failure occurred. At the time of the failure the airport was IFR with less than 500' ceiling and approximately 1 1/2 mi visibility and we were utilizing simultaneous approachs to runways 28L and 28R. Runway 28R was my area of responsibility. At the time of the failure I observed approximately 18-20 aircraft either on radar vectors to the final or tracking the final inbound. I was talking to 3 aircraft at the time and later a fourth aircraft called that had been cleared for the ILS approach before the radar failure. This failure could not have occurred at a worse time. Both WX and traffic were at their worst. The situation resulting from this failure was extremely dangerous at best. The sep being used at the time of the failure was based on radar and in some cases was at minimum allowed by IFR standards. Personally, I kept all aircraft on the localizer and had them report positions and airspeed and cleared them to land one at a time. I had no legal, non radar sep, and no way to provide any. Therefore, I improvised and got those I had on the ground where I believed to be safest. The cause of the failure has been said to be a hardware failure in combination with a failure of our radar indicator panel to show the failure had occurred and therefore no one know what button to push to fix the problem.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ATCT LCL CTLR'S PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RADAR SYSTEM FAILED.
Narrative: AT APPROX XX40 LCL TIME, I WAS WORKING LCL CTL 2 POS AT PIT ATCT WHEN A COMPLETE RADAR SYS, BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY, FAILURE OCCURRED. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE THE ARPT WAS IFR WITH LESS THAN 500' CEILING AND APPROX 1 1/2 MI VISIBILITY AND WE WERE UTILIZING SIMULTANEOUS APCHS TO RWYS 28L AND 28R. RWY 28R WAS MY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE I OBSERVED APPROX 18-20 ACFT EITHER ON RADAR VECTORS TO THE FINAL OR TRACKING THE FINAL INBND. I WAS TALKING TO 3 ACFT AT THE TIME AND LATER A FOURTH ACFT CALLED THAT HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH BEFORE THE RADAR FAILURE. THIS FAILURE COULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED AT A WORSE TIME. BOTH WX AND TFC WERE AT THEIR WORST. THE SITUATION RESULTING FROM THIS FAILURE WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AT BEST. THE SEP BEING USED AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE WAS BASED ON RADAR AND IN SOME CASES WAS AT MINIMUM ALLOWED BY IFR STANDARDS. PERSONALLY, I KEPT ALL ACFT ON THE LOC AND HAD THEM RPT POSITIONS AND AIRSPD AND CLRED THEM TO LAND ONE AT A TIME. I HAD NO LEGAL, NON RADAR SEP, AND NO WAY TO PROVIDE ANY. THEREFORE, I IMPROVISED AND GOT THOSE I HAD ON THE GND WHERE I BELIEVED TO BE SAFEST. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE HAS BEEN SAID TO BE A HARDWARE FAILURE IN COMBINATION WITH A FAILURE OF OUR RADAR INDICATOR PANEL TO SHOW THE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED AND THEREFORE NO ONE KNOW WHAT BUTTON TO PUSH TO FIX THE PROB.
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.