Narrative:

Traffic was light until the jump plane, a C182, began his climb out. When C182 ascended above 10000 ft, I called him 3 times to see how high he was climbing to. I received no response from C182. By now I had 4 jet acrs crossing karla intersection at 11000 ft in confliction with C182. After I issued the jump plane traffic to air carrier X, C182 radioed me advising that he had air carrier X in sight. C182 altitude at this time was at 11800 ft climbing, air carrier X altitude was at 12000 ft descending. Air carrier X received a TCASII resolution to climb, and did. C182 turned west to avoid air carrier X and to come around again to set up his jump run. The next air carrier got C182 in sight, and C182 had his aircraft in sight. They passed about a mi and at the same altitude. With more aircraft checking on frequency, and as I was issuing TA's, C182 dropped his skydivers between the air carrier X jet which had him in sight and the next air carrier jet 7 mi in-trail. C182 advised me that his skydivers were below 8000 ft. No pre-drop notification was issued. If I would have had a turboprop on the BYP2 at that time a collision could have happened. This operation is going to kill somebody if it is allowed to continue. (This has been going on since oct 1996.) the traffic complexity causes the controller to miss other items, like overtakes which happened during this time requiring a radar vector to air carrier Z to regain spacing required on the arrival. I cannot believe the FARS allow this kind of activity to exist. It is extremely dangerous. Far 91.303 prohibits aerobatics along federal airways. Yet no regulation exists to prohibit skydivers and their jump planes from operating along terminal rtes. Both sids and stars generate a larger volume of traffic than most low altitude airways. When are these aircraft (terminal arrs and departures) going to receive some kind of restr airspace protection? After someone gets killed! I hope we don't have to wait for that. How problem arose: during the major airspace change around dfw last october no planning was thought out about this potential problem. Contributing factors: management seems to think this is not much of a problem. Skydive company feels its business was there first and the airlines should be moved. Dfw approach not receptive to airlines being routed off STAR to avoid dive area. Performance considerations: byp and BYP2 STAR is the major arrival route into the dfw metroplex from the northeast united states. It handles more than 1/4 of the traffic into dfw airport. During major arrival periods as a controller you are busy and the frequency is tied up probably 80% of the time. Additional workload of calling TA's between the skydive aircraft and all the acrs is almost impossible. The jump area is just over 1 mi northwest of the arrival route. The skydive aircraft climbs through and above the arrival route and assigned altitudes of all arrival aircraft. TCASII events, pilot complaints, controller concerns have been addressed since oct of 1996 to no avail. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that he has received no response from anyone to whom he sent copies of the report. The union has shown the report to several people. Reporter says the situation is very scary. It is hard to watch an air carrier converging with an aircraft of which he has no control and to also know that there will be jumpers leaving that aircraft to possibly collide with the air carrier. The turboprop aircraft are at lower altitudes and directly below the jumpers on their descent. Reporter feels the controllers are caught in the middle since the arrival passes directly through the jump zone. He believes an accident will happen.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CTR CTLR RPT REGARDING THE PROB WITH SKYDIVE ACTIVITY ON THE ARR RTE INTO DFW. CTLRS ARE HAVING TO VECTOR ACR ACFT AROUND THE JUMP ACFT. JUMPERS ARE IN CLOSE PROX TO THE ACRS AS THEY EXIT THE ACFT AND FREE FALL. RPTR FEELS THIS ACTIVITY WAS NOT CONSIDERED WHEN THE ARR WAS DESIGNED.

Narrative: TFC WAS LIGHT UNTIL THE JUMP PLANE, A C182, BEGAN HIS CLBOUT. WHEN C182 ASCENDED ABOVE 10000 FT, I CALLED HIM 3 TIMES TO SEE HOW HIGH HE WAS CLBING TO. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM C182. BY NOW I HAD 4 JET ACRS XING KARLA INTXN AT 11000 FT IN CONFLICTION WITH C182. AFTER I ISSUED THE JUMP PLANE TFC TO ACR X, C182 RADIOED ME ADVISING THAT HE HAD ACR X IN SIGHT. C182 ALT AT THIS TIME WAS AT 11800 FT CLBING, ACR X ALT WAS AT 12000 FT DSNDING. ACR X RECEIVED A TCASII RESOLUTION TO CLB, AND DID. C182 TURNED W TO AVOID ACR X AND TO COME AROUND AGAIN TO SET UP HIS JUMP RUN. THE NEXT ACR GOT C182 IN SIGHT, AND C182 HAD HIS ACFT IN SIGHT. THEY PASSED ABOUT A MI AND AT THE SAME ALT. WITH MORE ACFT CHKING ON FREQ, AND AS I WAS ISSUING TA'S, C182 DROPPED HIS SKYDIVERS BTWN THE ACR X JET WHICH HAD HIM IN SIGHT AND THE NEXT ACR JET 7 MI IN-TRAIL. C182 ADVISED ME THAT HIS SKYDIVERS WERE BELOW 8000 FT. NO PRE-DROP NOTIFICATION WAS ISSUED. IF I WOULD HAVE HAD A TURBOPROP ON THE BYP2 AT THAT TIME A COLLISION COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS OP IS GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY IF IT IS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. (THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE OCT 1996.) THE TFC COMPLEXITY CAUSES THE CTLR TO MISS OTHER ITEMS, LIKE OVERTAKES WHICH HAPPENED DURING THIS TIME REQUIRING A RADAR VECTOR TO ACR Z TO REGAIN SPACING REQUIRED ON THE ARR. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE FARS ALLOW THIS KIND OF ACTIVITY TO EXIST. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. FAR 91.303 PROHIBITS AEROBATICS ALONG FEDERAL AIRWAYS. YET NO REG EXISTS TO PROHIBIT SKYDIVERS AND THEIR JUMP PLANES FROM OPERATING ALONG TERMINAL RTES. BOTH SIDS AND STARS GENERATE A LARGER VOLUME OF TFC THAN MOST LOW ALT AIRWAYS. WHEN ARE THESE ACFT (TERMINAL ARRS AND DEPS) GOING TO RECEIVE SOME KIND OF RESTR AIRSPACE PROTECTION? AFTER SOMEONE GETS KILLED! I HOPE WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THAT. HOW PROB AROSE: DURING THE MAJOR AIRSPACE CHANGE AROUND DFW LAST OCTOBER NO PLANNING WAS THOUGHT OUT ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL PROB. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: MGMNT SEEMS TO THINK THIS IS NOT MUCH OF A PROB. SKYDIVE COMPANY FEELS ITS BUSINESS WAS THERE FIRST AND THE AIRLINES SHOULD BE MOVED. DFW APCH NOT RECEPTIVE TO AIRLINES BEING ROUTED OFF STAR TO AVOID DIVE AREA. PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: BYP AND BYP2 STAR IS THE MAJOR ARR RTE INTO THE DFW METROPLEX FROM THE NORTHEAST UNITED STATES. IT HANDLES MORE THAN 1/4 OF THE TFC INTO DFW ARPT. DURING MAJOR ARR PERIODS AS A CTLR YOU ARE BUSY AND THE FREQ IS TIED UP PROBABLY 80% OF THE TIME. ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD OF CALLING TA'S BTWN THE SKYDIVE ACFT AND ALL THE ACRS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. THE JUMP AREA IS JUST OVER 1 MI NW OF THE ARR RTE. THE SKYDIVE ACFT CLBS THROUGH AND ABOVE THE ARR RTE AND ASSIGNED ALTS OF ALL ARR ACFT. TCASII EVENTS, PLT COMPLAINTS, CTLR CONCERNS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED SINCE OCT OF 1996 TO NO AVAIL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAS RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE TO WHOM HE SENT COPIES OF THE RPT. THE UNION HAS SHOWN THE RPT TO SEVERAL PEOPLE. RPTR SAYS THE SIT IS VERY SCARY. IT IS HARD TO WATCH AN ACR CONVERGING WITH AN ACFT OF WHICH HE HAS NO CTL AND TO ALSO KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE JUMPERS LEAVING THAT ACFT TO POSSIBLY COLLIDE WITH THE ACR. THE TURBOPROP ACFT ARE AT LOWER ALTS AND DIRECTLY BELOW THE JUMPERS ON THEIR DSCNT. RPTR FEELS THE CTLRS ARE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE SINCE THE ARR PASSES DIRECTLY THROUGH THE JUMP ZONE. HE BELIEVES AN ACCIDENT WILL HAPPEN.

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.