Narrative:

2 sectors in ZNY both became totally saturated with aircraft, creating a chaotic, unsafe environment and causing many aircraft to go into last-second holds. Traffic management failed, as is their history, to notify the supervisor that we were about to go to a 'red' condition and also failed to implement a plan that would have effectively prevented this situation. They are required by their operations manual to do this. In addition, traffic management is required to develop a long-term solution to a sector that shows a pattern of exceeding their operationally acceptable level of traffic. These 2 sectors continually blow up and tmu has done nothing to alleviate this unsafe condition. Recently, traffic management was exposed for similar occurrences to the NTSB and FAA investigators (on jul/wed/96 as an example) and these shortcomings were documented. Yet, nothing has changed. Tmu continues to shirk their responsibilities in an egregious manner, there were so many data blocks at these sectors that one of the controllers said that he thought he had had a separation error but he couldn't keep the data blocks apart. When will tmu be held responsible to fulfill their operational requirements in the interests of safety? Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated that due to some equipment, the tmu cannot provide timely information to enable the supervisor to effectively adjust departure traffic into the affected sectors. Reporter claims the supervisor will use departure strips to project a 20 min period departure flow and will adjust the flow as necessary to reduce the traffic congestion. Reporter alleges the tmu is concerned for traffic delays and attempts to reduce any imposed delay initiated by the supervisor. Reporter also indicated that nrp flts have priority over other flts and will not be rerted by the tmu from overfiled fixes that tend to be areas of congestion. Reporter stated that the traffic volume is reduced compared with the summer period and that there are red traffic warnings, but there is less sector saturation.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR CLAIMS OVERSATURATION OF TFC FOR 2 SECTORS WHEN THE TMU DIDN'T NOTIFY THE SUPVR OF PENDING TFC, TMU DIDN'T IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO EFFECTIVELY PREVENT THE SATURATION.

Narrative: 2 SECTORS IN ZNY BOTH BECAME TOTALLY SATURATED WITH ACFT, CREATING A CHAOTIC, UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT AND CAUSING MANY ACFT TO GO INTO LAST-SECOND HOLDS. TFC MGMNT FAILED, AS IS THEIR HISTORY, TO NOTIFY THE SUPVR THAT WE WERE ABOUT TO GO TO A 'RED' CONDITION AND ALSO FAILED TO IMPLEMENT A PLAN THAT WOULD HAVE EFFECTIVELY PREVENTED THIS SIT. THEY ARE REQUIRED BY THEIR OPS MANUAL TO DO THIS. IN ADDITION, TFC MGMNT IS REQUIRED TO DEVELOP A LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO A SECTOR THAT SHOWS A PATTERN OF EXCEEDING THEIR OPERATIONALLY ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF TFC. THESE 2 SECTORS CONTINUALLY BLOW UP AND TMU HAS DONE NOTHING TO ALLEVIATE THIS UNSAFE CONDITION. RECENTLY, TFC MGMNT WAS EXPOSED FOR SIMILAR OCCURRENCES TO THE NTSB AND FAA INVESTIGATORS (ON JUL/WED/96 AS AN EXAMPLE) AND THESE SHORTCOMINGS WERE DOCUMENTED. YET, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. TMU CONTINUES TO SHIRK THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES IN AN EGREGIOUS MANNER, THERE WERE SO MANY DATA BLOCKS AT THESE SECTORS THAT ONE OF THE CTLRS SAID THAT HE THOUGHT HE HAD HAD A SEPARATION ERROR BUT HE COULDN'T KEEP THE DATA BLOCKS APART. WHEN WILL TMU BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO FULFILL THEIR OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFETY? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THAT DUE TO SOME EQUIP, THE TMU CANNOT PROVIDE TIMELY INFO TO ENABLE THE SUPVR TO EFFECTIVELY ADJUST DEP TFC INTO THE AFFECTED SECTORS. RPTR CLAIMS THE SUPVR WILL USE DEP STRIPS TO PROJECT A 20 MIN PERIOD DEP FLOW AND WILL ADJUST THE FLOW AS NECESSARY TO REDUCE THE TFC CONGESTION. RPTR ALLEGES THE TMU IS CONCERNED FOR TFC DELAYS AND ATTEMPTS TO REDUCE ANY IMPOSED DELAY INITIATED BY THE SUPVR. RPTR ALSO INDICATED THAT NRP FLTS HAVE PRIORITY OVER OTHER FLTS AND WILL NOT BE RERTED BY THE TMU FROM OVERFILED FIXES THAT TEND TO BE AREAS OF CONGESTION. RPTR STATED THAT THE TFC VOLUME IS REDUCED COMPARED WITH THE SUMMER PERIOD AND THAT THERE ARE RED TFC WARNINGS, BUT THERE IS LESS SECTOR SATURATION.

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.