Narrative:

I had just relieved the meacham south controller. The dfw TRACON was in a 'south flow', meaning the airspace confign for the dfw terminal area was south. The wind, however, was 330 degree at 8-10 KTS. Most of the dfw area airports were landing and departing to the north. However, dfw and dal were south. That is why the 'south flow' airspace confign was being used. The relieved controller advised me that a military X was released of fwh into my airspace. He also said management was thinking of changing to a north flow due to the wind. When military X departed, I noticed several aircraft departing from dfw to the north. I assumed the airspace change had been made, and so I rted the military X north of dfw at 3000 ft AGL. I handed the military X off to the dallas north controller and told the military X to contact him. A few mins later I noticed some dfw arrs approaching the airspace where military X was. I queried another controller and found out the departures that departed dfw to the north had been specially coordinated and that a 'south flow' was still in use. I had rted military X into the AR2 and 1 airspace of a 'south flow', not the dallas north airspace in a 'north flow'. Why was dfw not in a 'north flow', with the wind from the north at a significant velocity. The supervisors and area mgrs are under scrutiny from the facility manager to use 'south flow' as much as possible. Why? It takes the heat off of him for noise complaints from irving. In a 'north flow', runway 31R is used and it passes over irving. So, the facility manager compromises safety by pressuring his underlings to use an unsafe airspace confign.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DEP CTLR NON COMPLIANCE WITH SOP RTED MIL X INTO WRONG AIRSPACE TFC FLOW. OPDEV.

Narrative: I HAD JUST RELIEVED THE MEACHAM S CTLR. THE DFW TRACON WAS IN A 'S FLOW', MEANING THE AIRSPACE CONFIGN FOR THE DFW TERMINAL AREA WAS S. THE WIND, HOWEVER, WAS 330 DEG AT 8-10 KTS. MOST OF THE DFW AREA ARPTS WERE LNDG AND DEPARTING TO THE N. HOWEVER, DFW AND DAL WERE S. THAT IS WHY THE 'S FLOW' AIRSPACE CONFIGN WAS BEING USED. THE RELIEVED CTLR ADVISED ME THAT A MIL X WAS RELEASED OF FWH INTO MY AIRSPACE. HE ALSO SAID MGMNT WAS THINKING OF CHANGING TO A N FLOW DUE TO THE WIND. WHEN MIL X DEPARTED, I NOTICED SEVERAL ACFT DEPARTING FROM DFW TO THE N. I ASSUMED THE AIRSPACE CHANGE HAD BEEN MADE, AND SO I RTED THE MIL X N OF DFW AT 3000 FT AGL. I HANDED THE MIL X OFF TO THE DALLAS N CTLR AND TOLD THE MIL X TO CONTACT HIM. A FEW MINS LATER I NOTICED SOME DFW ARRS APCHING THE AIRSPACE WHERE MIL X WAS. I QUERIED ANOTHER CTLR AND FOUND OUT THE DEPS THAT DEPARTED DFW TO THE N HAD BEEN SPECIALLY COORDINATED AND THAT A 'S FLOW' WAS STILL IN USE. I HAD RTED MIL X INTO THE AR2 AND 1 AIRSPACE OF A 'S FLOW', NOT THE DALLAS N AIRSPACE IN A 'N FLOW'. WHY WAS DFW NOT IN A 'N FLOW', WITH THE WIND FROM THE N AT A SIGNIFICANT VELOCITY. THE SUPVRS AND AREA MGRS ARE UNDER SCRUTINY FROM THE FACILITY MGR TO USE 'S FLOW' AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WHY? IT TAKES THE HEAT OFF OF HIM FOR NOISE COMPLAINTS FROM IRVING. IN A 'N FLOW', RWY 31R IS USED AND IT PASSES OVER IRVING. SO, THE FACILITY MGR COMPROMISES SAFETY BY PRESSURING HIS UNDERLINGS TO USE AN UNSAFE AIRSPACE CONFIGN.

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.