Narrative:

I made an incorrect keyboard entry which caused miami approach control to lose their radar, miami tower to delay departures, and miami ARTCC to put inbound aircraft into holding. It took miami approach 10-20 mins to realize how this happened. I made this entry in an attempt to realign my airspace map after the miami radar failed and the ft lauderdale radar came into use. However, miami approach had changed the keyboard entry, but did not notify tamiami tower. No briefings on this change were held. Management plans to correct the situation by properly training all tmb tower controllers. The ability to make keyboard entries to miami's radar room has been removed. Callback conversation with mia TRACON automation specialist revealed the following information: during callback to the mia TRACON, an automation specialist who was familiar with this incident stated that the tmb controller made an incorrect supervisory keyboard entry that changed the TRACON's radar site confign. This change transferred the radar from the ft lauderdale to the mia site, which was OTS. The automation specialist also disputes the reporter's claim that a software modification was initiated and not briefed. Supplemental information from acn 337886: the miami radar was under repair (the normal radar site) and the ft lauderdale site was being used (the secondary back-up site). First of all, when the tmb (tamiami tower) controllers opened the VFR level ii tower that morning, they were not informed that the ft lauderdale site was in use, but soon figured it out on their own. Later we noticed that radar had changed to the miami site (miami approach did not inform us of this). I called the approach controller to ask about this and he said we were on the miami site. I asked him what entry do we use to realign the data/tags to the corresponding primary targets and he told me what to do and I hung up the phone. It didn't work. By the way, the information was different than what we used in the past. We want to know why we aren't informed about the changes. Tmb ended up, because of no training on the subject, entering a command that crashed the entire radar ARTS for the area. Supplemental information from acn 337704: this incident pertains to an incident that occurred (which was when tamiami tower made a keyboard entry that caused mia tower and fll tower to lose their radar for about 15 mins). The incident was a phone call. Someone called on the phone (commercial non recorded line) and said he was calling from miami and that he needed me to go to the keyboard and enter 'XXXX.' this is the entry that caused miami radar to go down. I told the caller that it wouldn't be a good idea to do that and that he should be careful because someone may have actually followed his instructions. The caller laughed. I reported this to my supervisor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARTS KEYBOARD ENTRY FROM TMB TO RECONFIGURE VIDEO MAP CAUSED MIA TRACON TWR'S RADAR TO FAIL. RPTR ALLEGES THAT THE KEYBOARD ENTRY WAS CHANGED, BUT TRACON MGMNT FAILED TO FOLLOW UP WITH TEAM BRIEFINGS. KEYBOARD ENTRY AT TMB HAS BEEN DISABLED PENDING BRIEFINGS AND ARTS TRAINING FOR TWR PERSONNEL.

Narrative: I MADE AN INCORRECT KEYBOARD ENTRY WHICH CAUSED MIAMI APCH CTL TO LOSE THEIR RADAR, MIAMI TWR TO DELAY DEPS, AND MIAMI ARTCC TO PUT INBOUND ACFT INTO HOLDING. IT TOOK MIAMI APCH 10-20 MINS TO REALIZE HOW THIS HAPPENED. I MADE THIS ENTRY IN AN ATTEMPT TO REALIGN MY AIRSPACE MAP AFTER THE MIAMI RADAR FAILED AND THE FT LAUDERDALE RADAR CAME INTO USE. HOWEVER, MIAMI APCH HAD CHANGED THE KEYBOARD ENTRY, BUT DID NOT NOTIFY TAMIAMI TWR. NO BRIEFINGS ON THIS CHANGE WERE HELD. MGMNT PLANS TO CORRECT THE SIT BY PROPERLY TRAINING ALL TMB TWR CTLRS. THE ABILITY TO MAKE KEYBOARD ENTRIES TO MIAMI'S RADAR ROOM HAS BEEN REMOVED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH MIA TRACON AUTOMATION SPECIALIST REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: DURING CALLBACK TO THE MIA TRACON, AN AUTOMATION SPECIALIST WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH THIS INCIDENT STATED THAT THE TMB CTLR MADE AN INCORRECT SUPERVISORY KEYBOARD ENTRY THAT CHANGED THE TRACON'S RADAR SITE CONFIGN. THIS CHANGE TRANSFERRED THE RADAR FROM THE FT LAUDERDALE TO THE MIA SITE, WHICH WAS OTS. THE AUTOMATION SPECIALIST ALSO DISPUTES THE RPTR'S CLAIM THAT A SOFTWARE MODIFICATION WAS INITIATED AND NOT BRIEFED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 337886: THE MIAMI RADAR WAS UNDER REPAIR (THE NORMAL RADAR SITE) AND THE FT LAUDERDALE SITE WAS BEING USED (THE SECONDARY BACK-UP SITE). FIRST OF ALL, WHEN THE TMB (TAMIAMI TWR) CTLRS OPENED THE VFR LEVEL II TWR THAT MORNING, THEY WERE NOT INFORMED THAT THE FT LAUDERDALE SITE WAS IN USE, BUT SOON FIGURED IT OUT ON THEIR OWN. LATER WE NOTICED THAT RADAR HAD CHANGED TO THE MIAMI SITE (MIAMI APCH DID NOT INFORM US OF THIS). I CALLED THE APCH CTLR TO ASK ABOUT THIS AND HE SAID WE WERE ON THE MIAMI SITE. I ASKED HIM WHAT ENTRY DO WE USE TO REALIGN THE DATA/TAGS TO THE CORRESPONDING PRIMARY TARGETS AND HE TOLD ME WHAT TO DO AND I HUNG UP THE PHONE. IT DIDN'T WORK. BY THE WAY, THE INFO WAS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE USED IN THE PAST. WE WANT TO KNOW WHY WE AREN'T INFORMED ABOUT THE CHANGES. TMB ENDED UP, BECAUSE OF NO TRAINING ON THE SUBJECT, ENTERING A COMMAND THAT CRASHED THE ENTIRE RADAR ARTS FOR THE AREA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 337704: THIS INCIDENT PERTAINS TO AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED (WHICH WAS WHEN TAMIAMI TWR MADE A KEYBOARD ENTRY THAT CAUSED MIA TWR AND FLL TWR TO LOSE THEIR RADAR FOR ABOUT 15 MINS). THE INCIDENT WAS A PHONE CALL. SOMEONE CALLED ON THE PHONE (COMMERCIAL NON RECORDED LINE) AND SAID HE WAS CALLING FROM MIAMI AND THAT HE NEEDED ME TO GO TO THE KEYBOARD AND ENTER 'XXXX.' THIS IS THE ENTRY THAT CAUSED MIAMI RADAR TO GO DOWN. I TOLD THE CALLER THAT IT WOULDN'T BE A GOOD IDEA TO DO THAT AND THAT HE SHOULD BE CAREFUL BECAUSE SOMEONE MAY HAVE ACTUALLY FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTIONS. THE CALLER LAUGHED. I RPTED THIS TO MY SUPVR.

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.