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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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Operational error occurred when the right controller dropped the wrong air carrier out of the system and its limited data block went unnoticed until the flight crew requested a higher altitude. The MD80 conflicted with a crossing cpr citation.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 345956 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199608 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : bil |
| State Reference | MT |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 31000 msl bound upper : 31000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zlc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | general aviation : corporate |
| Make Model Name | Cessna Citation Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : flight data |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller non radar : 13 controller radar : 10 |
| ASRS Report | 345956 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : radar |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 3000 vertical : 500 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Operational Error |
Narrative:
Right-man alone on sector and getting busy. Asked for a d- man. I was told to go help. I started taking care of the coordination that needed to be done as soon as possible. Prior to this, a small commuter aircraft was inbound to hln and over to hln approach. As I am coordinating things, the r-man sees the inbound below 10000 ft and per the LOA with hln, drops the flight plan on the commuter. He actually dropped the flight plan on an air carrier who was eastbound at FL310, but did not realize it. The area in the middle of montana is a known problem area for what we term as 'ring-a-round- or 'ghost targets.' in this case, the air carrier MD80's flight was through the area that we get these false targets all the time, so the limited data block caused no concern to the r-man. I was so busy trying to get things caught up, I don't even remember looking at the radar scope. The sector was so busy when I sat down that there was no way to get a briefing on what was happening. I still did not have the picture of what was happening when I left and so briefed my relief. The air carrier was noticed when he asked for a climb to FL330 which all happened after I left. At that time, he was crossing with a citation who had departed gtf and was going sse toward the denver area or on further southeast. Most of sector 19/20 and most of sector 17 and the northern part of sector 15 are know to have the ghost targets and maintenance has told us it is due to the radar at gfa AFB that we use having a large concrete hangar next to it reflecting the targets back into the radar and that these targets will continue until the new ASR-4 goes on-line north of gtf next oct/97. All controllers working area a or area B in ZLC know about these ghost targets and since they are so often there and with another real aircraft a lot of the time, they are just ignored. There are way too many to be vectoring aircraft around them on an 'immediate' type call.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: OPERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE R CTLR DROPPED THE WRONG ACR OUT OF THE SYS AND ITS LIMITED DATA BLOCK WENT UNNOTICED UNTIL THE FLC REQUESTED A HIGHER ALT. THE MD80 CONFLICTED WITH A XING CPR CITATION.
Narrative: R-MAN ALONE ON SECTOR AND GETTING BUSY. ASKED FOR A D- MAN. I WAS TOLD TO GO HELP. I STARTED TAKING CARE OF THE COORD THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE ASAP. PRIOR TO THIS, A SMALL COMMUTER ACFT WAS INBOUND TO HLN AND OVER TO HLN APCH. AS I AM COORDINATING THINGS, THE R-MAN SEES THE INBOUND BELOW 10000 FT AND PER THE LOA WITH HLN, DROPS THE FLT PLAN ON THE COMMUTER. HE ACTUALLY DROPPED THE FLT PLAN ON AN ACR WHO WAS EBOUND AT FL310, BUT DID NOT REALIZE IT. THE AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF MONTANA IS A KNOWN PROB AREA FOR WHAT WE TERM AS 'RING-A-ROUND- OR 'GHOST TARGETS.' IN THIS CASE, THE ACR MD80'S FLT WAS THROUGH THE AREA THAT WE GET THESE FALSE TARGETS ALL THE TIME, SO THE LIMITED DATA BLOCK CAUSED NO CONCERN TO THE R-MAN. I WAS SO BUSY TRYING TO GET THINGS CAUGHT UP, I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER LOOKING AT THE RADAR SCOPE. THE SECTOR WAS SO BUSY WHEN I SAT DOWN THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO GET A BRIEFING ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I STILL DID NOT HAVE THE PICTURE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN I LEFT AND SO BRIEFED MY RELIEF. THE ACR WAS NOTICED WHEN HE ASKED FOR A CLB TO FL330 WHICH ALL HAPPENED AFTER I LEFT. AT THAT TIME, HE WAS XING WITH A CITATION WHO HAD DEPARTED GTF AND WAS GOING SSE TOWARD THE DENVER AREA OR ON FURTHER SE. MOST OF SECTOR 19/20 AND MOST OF SECTOR 17 AND THE NORTHERN PART OF SECTOR 15 ARE KNOW TO HAVE THE GHOST TARGETS AND MAINT HAS TOLD US IT IS DUE TO THE RADAR AT GFA AFB THAT WE USE HAVING A LARGE CONCRETE HANGAR NEXT TO IT REFLECTING THE TARGETS BACK INTO THE RADAR AND THAT THESE TARGETS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE NEW ASR-4 GOES ON-LINE N OF GTF NEXT OCT/97. ALL CTLRS WORKING AREA A OR AREA B IN ZLC KNOW ABOUT THESE GHOST TARGETS AND SINCE THEY ARE SO OFTEN THERE AND WITH ANOTHER REAL ACFT A LOT OF THE TIME, THEY ARE JUST IGNORED. THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY TO BE VECTORING ACFT AROUND THEM ON AN 'IMMEDIATE' TYPE CALL.
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.