Narrative:

Several factors came together on a recent IFR flight to create a dangerous situation. The flight was jun/fri/95 from wichita (3KM) to santa flight engineer. The forecast was for good VFR with ceilings about 12000 ft broken and good visibility. Actual WX reports were not available for saf until after my early morning departure. En route WX reports revealed that the WX at saf was worse than forecast and that an instrument approach would be necessary. I planned to arrive shortly before the VOR at saf was scheduled to go down (XB00Z) but I was concerned. I called center and asked if the VOR was still scheduled to go down and they advised that it would go down as scheduled. I asked if vectors would be available en route and for the approach when the VOR went down and I was advised that vectoring would be provided. This conversation occurred while I was still about 50 mi east of lvs. About 10 mins east of lvs, I asked for a climb from 10000 ft to 12000 ft to comply with the minimum crossing altitude on V19 west of lvs. This was approved and as soon as I got to 12000 ft (tops 11000 ft), center changed my routing to lvs-tafoy- saf. This wasted my climb and would eliminate any extra time I had before the VOR shutdown. Somewhere in the vicinity of the lvs-tafoy segment, there was a shift change at ATC. At about XA58Z, I was cleared to hold at the saf VOR and the expect further clearance time was XB15Z. As I was advising the controller that I could not hold at the VOR, the VOR went OTS. The controller seemed to have no idea the VOR was scheduled to go down and no idea what to do with the aircraft en route. I was only 2-3 mi from the VOR and I eventually told the controller that I was going to hold at doman (my VFR LORAN was awfully helpful!). The controller got the hint and cleared me to doman and cleared me for the ILS (on my own navigation -- no vectors). This was quite dangerous in the high terrain around saf. There were several ATC problems: 1) the controller was not expecting the scheduled VOR shutdown, 2) there was inadequate communication between shifts of controllers that would have informed the controller of the shutdown and the request for vectors, 3) the controller was very slow in reacting to the shutdown. This resulted in aircraft flying without navigation and without vectors in mountainous terrain, 4) ATC issued a VOR hold that was unflyable, 5) the route change at lvs was issued later than it should have been, 6) approach vectors, though expected, were never given.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SAF VOR OTS.

Narrative: SEVERAL FACTORS CAME TOGETHER ON A RECENT IFR FLT TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SIT. THE FLT WAS JUN/FRI/95 FROM WICHITA (3KM) TO SANTA FE. THE FORECAST WAS FOR GOOD VFR WITH CEILINGS ABOUT 12000 FT BROKEN AND GOOD VISIBILITY. ACTUAL WX RPTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR SAF UNTIL AFTER MY EARLY MORNING DEP. ENRTE WX RPTS REVEALED THAT THE WX AT SAF WAS WORSE THAN FORECAST AND THAT AN INST APCH WOULD BE NECESSARY. I PLANNED TO ARRIVE SHORTLY BEFORE THE VOR AT SAF WAS SCHEDULED TO GO DOWN (XB00Z) BUT I WAS CONCERNED. I CALLED CTR AND ASKED IF THE VOR WAS STILL SCHEDULED TO GO DOWN AND THEY ADVISED THAT IT WOULD GO DOWN AS SCHEDULED. I ASKED IF VECTORS WOULD BE AVAILABLE ENRTE AND FOR THE APCH WHEN THE VOR WENT DOWN AND I WAS ADVISED THAT VECTORING WOULD BE PROVIDED. THIS CONVERSATION OCCURRED WHILE I WAS STILL ABOUT 50 MI E OF LVS. ABOUT 10 MINS E OF LVS, I ASKED FOR A CLB FROM 10000 FT TO 12000 FT TO COMPLY WITH THE MINIMUM XING ALT ON V19 W OF LVS. THIS WAS APPROVED AND AS SOON AS I GOT TO 12000 FT (TOPS 11000 FT), CTR CHANGED MY ROUTING TO LVS-TAFOY- SAF. THIS WASTED MY CLB AND WOULD ELIMINATE ANY EXTRA TIME I HAD BEFORE THE VOR SHUTDOWN. SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF THE LVS-TAFOY SEGMENT, THERE WAS A SHIFT CHANGE AT ATC. AT ABOUT XA58Z, I WAS CLRED TO HOLD AT THE SAF VOR AND THE EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC TIME WAS XB15Z. AS I WAS ADVISING THE CTLR THAT I COULD NOT HOLD AT THE VOR, THE VOR WENT OTS. THE CTLR SEEMED TO HAVE NO IDEA THE VOR WAS SCHEDULED TO GO DOWN AND NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THE ACFT ENRTE. I WAS ONLY 2-3 MI FROM THE VOR AND I EVENTUALLY TOLD THE CTLR THAT I WAS GOING TO HOLD AT DOMAN (MY VFR LORAN WAS AWFULLY HELPFUL!). THE CTLR GOT THE HINT AND CLRED ME TO DOMAN AND CLRED ME FOR THE ILS (ON MY OWN NAV -- NO VECTORS). THIS WAS QUITE DANGEROUS IN THE HIGH TERRAIN AROUND SAF. THERE WERE SEVERAL ATC PROBS: 1) THE CTLR WAS NOT EXPECTING THE SCHEDULED VOR SHUTDOWN, 2) THERE WAS INADEQUATE COM BTWN SHIFTS OF CTLRS THAT WOULD HAVE INFORMED THE CTLR OF THE SHUTDOWN AND THE REQUEST FOR VECTORS, 3) THE CTLR WAS VERY SLOW IN REACTING TO THE SHUTDOWN. THIS RESULTED IN ACFT FLYING WITHOUT NAV AND WITHOUT VECTORS IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, 4) ATC ISSUED A VOR HOLD THAT WAS UNFLYABLE, 5) THE RTE CHANGE AT LVS WAS ISSUED LATER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, 6) APCH VECTORS, THOUGH EXPECTED, WERE NEVER GIVEN.

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.