Narrative:

Due to a planned shutdown of wri approach control, the mgrs of ZNY agreed to take the airspace back and work the traffic. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but no training or certification was done on the new airspace. Center controllers, including myself, were ordered to work the traffic without any instruction on approach control procedures, airspace, surrounding airspace or non radar procedures. I feel this situation put the flying public and myself in danger. Here I am working aircraft with no knowledge of the airspace, but with all the responsibility. This whole situation was handled wrong from the beginning. First of all, wri controllers should have been brought to ZNY and worked the traffic they know and are certified on, or at the very least the ZNY training department should have been involved so that we could have received some kind of training. We received a 15 min briefing from a staff person in charge of this mess who has never worked a radar position before and couldn't answer any question given to him. Supplemental information from acn 379351: I was ordered to work airspace belonging to mcguire approach with no training. An individual from mcguire was issuing clrncs and releasing aircraft without being certified on the ground/ground communications or the fdio equipment he was using. The supervisor was fully aware of this and told me I was responsible for this individual's actions. I told the 'technical expert' from mcguire to cease using the ground communication system and requested relief from the position and was denied. Supplemental information from acn 379352: supervisors ordered controller to work airspace which they had no certification on. Management was aware of and did nothing to give proper training to controllers involved. During the first outage an emergency was declared, and the lack of knowledge caused many airspace violations. Management at ZNY has taken no action to properly train controllers and assure safety to the flying public. Supplemental information from acn 379357: we took over their airspace for the day because of construction at the airport. I was given no training of the airspace and procedures. I had a 10 min briefing which I was handed a 15 page handout of maps and what to expect. The things that I was told would happen did not, ie 1) we weren't supposed to see certain traffic, which I worked. 2) restr area 5002 was supposed to be inactive. It was active. 3) we did not even have the map of the airspace depicted on the scope. We were supposed to. These are just a few items, there are more. I am told that we will again take over the airspace in october. This time it will not be for 6 hours but a few weeks! I and every other controller that had to work this knows it is a very dangerous situation. I guess the FAA will only realize it if a major catastrophe occurs, which given the situation is a great possibility.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ARTCC CTLRS' COMPLAINTS ABOUT HAVING TO ASSUME CTL OF WRI APCH CTL AIRSPACE FOR 1 DAY WITHOUT ANY TRAINING ON APCH CTL PROCS, AIRSPACE CONFIGN, ETC. CTLRS COMPLAINED TO SUPVR AND MGR, BUT WERE TOLD THEY HAD TO WORK THE SECTOR TFC ANYWAY. CTLRS FEEL THIS WAS AN UNSAFE OP.

Narrative: DUE TO A PLANNED SHUTDOWN OF WRI APCH CTL, THE MGRS OF ZNY AGREED TO TAKE THE AIRSPACE BACK AND WORK THE TFC. NORMALLY, THIS WOULDN'T BE A PROB, BUT NO TRAINING OR CERTIFICATION WAS DONE ON THE NEW AIRSPACE. CTR CTLRS, INCLUDING MYSELF, WERE ORDERED TO WORK THE TFC WITHOUT ANY INSTRUCTION ON APCH CTL PROCS, AIRSPACE, SURROUNDING AIRSPACE OR NON RADAR PROCS. I FEEL THIS SIT PUT THE FLYING PUBLIC AND MYSELF IN DANGER. HERE I AM WORKING ACFT WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE AIRSPACE, BUT WITH ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY. THIS WHOLE SIT WAS HANDLED WRONG FROM THE BEGINNING. FIRST OF ALL, WRI CTLRS SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO ZNY AND WORKED THE TFC THEY KNOW AND ARE CERTIFIED ON, OR AT THE VERY LEAST THE ZNY TRAINING DEPT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED SO THAT WE COULD HAVE RECEIVED SOME KIND OF TRAINING. WE RECEIVED A 15 MIN BRIEFING FROM A STAFF PERSON IN CHARGE OF THIS MESS WHO HAS NEVER WORKED A RADAR POS BEFORE AND COULDN'T ANSWER ANY QUESTION GIVEN TO HIM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 379351: I WAS ORDERED TO WORK AIRSPACE BELONGING TO MCGUIRE APCH WITH NO TRAINING. AN INDIVIDUAL FROM MCGUIRE WAS ISSUING CLRNCS AND RELEASING ACFT WITHOUT BEING CERTIFIED ON THE GND/GND COMS OR THE FDIO EQUIP HE WAS USING. THE SUPVR WAS FULLY AWARE OF THIS AND TOLD ME I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS INDIVIDUAL'S ACTIONS. I TOLD THE 'TECHNICAL EXPERT' FROM MCGUIRE TO CEASE USING THE GND COM SYS AND REQUESTED RELIEF FROM THE POS AND WAS DENIED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 379352: SUPVRS ORDERED CTLR TO WORK AIRSPACE WHICH THEY HAD NO CERTIFICATION ON. MGMNT WAS AWARE OF AND DID NOTHING TO GIVE PROPER TRAINING TO CTLRS INVOLVED. DURING THE FIRST OUTAGE AN EMER WAS DECLARED, AND THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE CAUSED MANY AIRSPACE VIOLATIONS. MGMNT AT ZNY HAS TAKEN NO ACTION TO PROPERLY TRAIN CTLRS AND ASSURE SAFETY TO THE FLYING PUBLIC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 379357: WE TOOK OVER THEIR AIRSPACE FOR THE DAY BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION AT THE ARPT. I WAS GIVEN NO TRAINING OF THE AIRSPACE AND PROCS. I HAD A 10 MIN BRIEFING WHICH I WAS HANDED A 15 PAGE HANDOUT OF MAPS AND WHAT TO EXPECT. THE THINGS THAT I WAS TOLD WOULD HAPPEN DID NOT, IE 1) WE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE CERTAIN TFC, WHICH I WORKED. 2) RESTR AREA 5002 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INACTIVE. IT WAS ACTIVE. 3) WE DID NOT EVEN HAVE THE MAP OF THE AIRSPACE DEPICTED ON THE SCOPE. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO. THESE ARE JUST A FEW ITEMS, THERE ARE MORE. I AM TOLD THAT WE WILL AGAIN TAKE OVER THE AIRSPACE IN OCTOBER. THIS TIME IT WILL NOT BE FOR 6 HRS BUT A FEW WKS! I AND EVERY OTHER CTLR THAT HAD TO WORK THIS KNOWS IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SIT. I GUESS THE FAA WILL ONLY REALIZE IT IF A MAJOR CATASTROPHE OCCURS, WHICH GIVEN THE SIT IS A GREAT POSSIBILITY.

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.