Radar failures occurs due to contractor technician short circuiting wires.

Attributes
ACN	265778
Time
Date	199403
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zse
State Reference	WA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	265778
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Navigational Aid	Unspecified

Narrative:

As an engineer for company X, a contractor, working on the new aceps project located at ZSE (FAA facility in auburn, washington), I cannot understand why the FAA is so understaffed when it comes to engineering position for the FAA! If the manpwr was there on morning of mar/fri/94 at approximately XX45, ZSE would not have lost its host and darc system nor its communication links! At approximately XX45 on morning of mar/fri/94, the FAA ARTCC known as ZSE lost its host computer and darc radar as well as its communications link. Evidently due to lack of FAA engineering supervision, a subcontractor of company Y, not company X, or their electrical contractor company Z, caused a short circuit to occur when company Y technician landed live wires to a remote operating system (rosp) located in the ATC room next to the smmc. This brainless technician then walked on the bare ends of wire lying on the floor which shorted them to ground. This caused a power supply transfer and caused computers to go off-line.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RADAR FAILURES OCCURS DUE TO CONTRACTOR TECHNICIAN SHORT CIRCUITING WIRES.

Narrative: AS AN ENGINEER FOR COMPANY X, A CONTRACTOR, WORKING ON THE NEW ACEPS PROJECT LOCATED AT ZSE (FAA FACILITY IN AUBURN, WASHINGTON), I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE FAA IS SO UNDERSTAFFED WHEN IT COMES TO ENGINEERING POS FOR THE FAA! IF THE MANPWR WAS THERE ON MORNING OF MAR/FRI/94 AT APPROX XX45, ZSE WOULD NOT HAVE LOST ITS HOST AND DARC SYS NOR ITS COM LINKS! AT APPROX XX45 ON MORNING OF MAR/FRI/94, THE FAA ARTCC KNOWN AS ZSE LOST ITS HOST COMPUTER AND DARC RADAR AS WELL AS ITS COMS LINK. EVIDENTLY DUE TO LACK OF FAA ENGINEERING SUPERVISION, A SUBCONTRACTOR OF COMPANY Y, NOT COMPANY X, OR THEIR ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR COMPANY Z, CAUSED A SHORT CIRCUIT TO OCCUR WHEN COMPANY Y TECHNICIAN LANDED LIVE WIRES TO A REMOTE OPERATING SYS (ROSP) LOCATED IN THE ATC ROOM NEXT TO THE SMMC. THIS BRAINLESS TECHNICIAN THEN WALKED ON THE BARE ENDS OF WIRE LYING ON THE FLOOR WHICH SHORTED THEM TO GND. THIS CAUSED A PWR SUPPLY TRANSFER AND CAUSED COMPUTERS TO GO OFF-LINE.

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.