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Reporter claims radar was released to maintenance for 5 mins to change a control panel card. Radar failed to come back as scheduled and the back up system didn't work.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 404239 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199806 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : mci |
| State Reference | MO |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : sfo |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller military : 4 controller radar : 16 |
| ASRS Report | 404239 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | oversight : supervisor |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | other physical facility procedure or policy : unspecified |
| Navigational Aid | Unspecified |
Narrative:
I was working arrival/departure east radar. Upper management decided to allow radar maintenance to switch our radar from primary ASR-9 to center back up. This outage was supposed to last 5 mins to change a card in the ASR-9 control panel. Center back up did not come up and we lost all radar for approximately 10 mins. There were 16 aircraft in our airspace at the time. We stopped departures and held arrs. The aircraft we were talking to were placed into holding in our airspace. The reason it was decided to try and go to the back up at XA00 is curious to me. Why take a chance that back up will not work? Come to find out later had they waited till later in the evening maintenance would have to call in overtime.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: RPTR CLAIMS RADAR WAS RELEASED TO MAINT FOR 5 MINS TO CHANGE A CTL PANEL CARD. RADAR FAILED TO COME BACK AS SCHEDULED AND THE BACK UP SYS DIDN'T WORK.
Narrative: I WAS WORKING ARR/DEP E RADAR. UPPER MGMNT DECIDED TO ALLOW RADAR MAINT TO SWITCH OUR RADAR FROM PRIMARY ASR-9 TO CTR BACK UP. THIS OUTAGE WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST 5 MINS TO CHANGE A CARD IN THE ASR-9 CTL PANEL. CTR BACK UP DID NOT COME UP AND WE LOST ALL RADAR FOR APPROX 10 MINS. THERE WERE 16 ACFT IN OUR AIRSPACE AT THE TIME. WE STOPPED DEPS AND HELD ARRS. THE ACFT WE WERE TALKING TO WERE PLACED INTO HOLDING IN OUR AIRSPACE. THE REASON IT WAS DECIDED TO TRY AND GO TO THE BACK UP AT XA00 IS CURIOUS TO ME. WHY TAKE A CHANCE THAT BACK UP WILL NOT WORK? COME TO FIND OUT LATER HAD THEY WAITED TILL LATER IN THE EVENING MAINT WOULD HAVE TO CALL IN OVERTIME.
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.