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Approach controller complaint about a supervisor's decision on departure and arrival procedures to be used while the mkc VOR was OTS. Reporter feels the decision put the controllers in a dangerous position and caused a departing B737 to make an abrupt leveloff to miss an arriving B737.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 397860 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199803 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : mkc airport : mci |
| State Reference | MO |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 11000 msl bound upper : 12000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : mci |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Route In Use | arrival other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| ASRS Report | 397860 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | oversight : supervisor |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 42000 vertical : 1000 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
During an outage of the mkc VOR, certain provisions had been coordinated between ZKC and mci for arrs and departures. Our stars and sids are largely used around the mkc VOR. Departures were to be given a vector out of the departure area where they would go normally. Arrs were to be vectored in on a similar fashion. One fix from the south has a turn off the arrival that keeps arriving aircraft away from departing aircraft. The arrs were not being given heading (vectors) to keep aircraft coming in from this point away from departing aircraft. One B737 departure and one B737 on the arrival described came close to losing separation because the area supervisor in charge at mci refused to cut arrs off at this fix during the outage, when he admitted they conflicted with departures. The departing B737 had to make an abrupt stop to his climb because of this. No separation was lost, but this situation could have been avoided very easily. The area supervisor put the controllers in a very dangerous situation.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: APCH CTLR COMPLAINT ABOUT A SUPVR'S DECISION ON DEP AND ARR PROCS TO BE USED WHILE THE MKC VOR WAS OTS. RPTR FEELS THE DECISION PUT THE CTLRS IN A DANGEROUS POS AND CAUSED A DEPARTING B737 TO MAKE AN ABRUPT LEVELOFF TO MISS AN ARRIVING B737.
Narrative: DURING AN OUTAGE OF THE MKC VOR, CERTAIN PROVISIONS HAD BEEN COORDINATED BTWN ZKC AND MCI FOR ARRS AND DEPS. OUR STARS AND SIDS ARE LARGELY USED AROUND THE MKC VOR. DEPS WERE TO BE GIVEN A VECTOR OUT OF THE DEP AREA WHERE THEY WOULD GO NORMALLY. ARRS WERE TO BE VECTORED IN ON A SIMILAR FASHION. ONE FIX FROM THE S HAS A TURN OFF THE ARR THAT KEEPS ARRIVING ACFT AWAY FROM DEPARTING ACFT. THE ARRS WERE NOT BEING GIVEN HDG (VECTORS) TO KEEP ACFT COMING IN FROM THIS POINT AWAY FROM DEPARTING ACFT. ONE B737 DEP AND ONE B737 ON THE ARR DESCRIBED CAME CLOSE TO LOSING SEPARATION BECAUSE THE AREA SUPVR IN CHARGE AT MCI REFUSED TO CUT ARRS OFF AT THIS FIX DURING THE OUTAGE, WHEN HE ADMITTED THEY CONFLICTED WITH DEPS. THE DEPARTING B737 HAD TO MAKE AN ABRUPT STOP TO HIS CLB BECAUSE OF THIS. NO SEPARATION WAS LOST, BUT THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED VERY EASILY. THE AREA SUPVR PUT THE CTLRS IN A VERY DANGEROUS SIT.
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.