Narrative:

I was working tar-D handoff position, which is the north arrival position at atlanta TRACON (A80). A line of WX was moving through the area from southwest to northeast. This line was impacting the south downwind to runway 27L and moving towards the north downwind for runway 26R. The supervisor, mr X, had called an 80 arrival rate. The pattern was getting full of aircraft, which would normally not be a problem, but with thunderstorms in the area, it leaves little room for anything to go wrong and still maintain a reasonable margin of safety. Mr X is known for his 'rambo' attitude. By that I mean, he wants to get the aircraft into the system and keep the arrival rate high at all costs. Mr X was asked by the traffic management specialist if he wanted to change their arrival rate and/or in-trail spacing due to the increasing demand and WX in the area. Mr X response was, 'no, bring 'em on!' typical! As it turned out, the arrival pattern was full, and an aircraft reported taking a lightning strike. After that, no other aircraft would go through that area of WX. Another aircraft reported entering hail. I asked the traffic management specialist for assistance, since at the time, mr X was not present in the area, he was across the room. I then took it upon myself to stop the arrs from ZTL on the base leg side. The tar controller was now in a very unusual confign of vectoring airplanes from the downwind back north into the base leg to accommodate the final controllers need to keep his aircraft out of the hazardous WX. As soon as mr X returned to the wall, I informed him that I had shut off the base leg arrs. He acknowledged me and then proceeded to tell the final controller where he was screwing up -- instead of doing his job and adjusting the flow to allow us to get the situation back under control. Mr X's next priority was to get the base leg arrs started back in -- without apparent regard for the appropriate margin of safety considering the circumstances. When the base leg arrs started back in, we were still in the pattern (vectoring to the downwind instead of our preferred downwind/base feed) trying to get the situation back under control. Mr X started the base leg back in with minimum spacing. This caused us to stay in the pattern for an extended period of time before the traffic management specialist was able to increase the in-trail spacing to allow us to work back into a normal feed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CTLRS AT A80 WERE WORKING HVY TFC IN SEVERE WX CONDITIONS WITH A POSSIBLY VERY HIGH ARR RATE IN EFFECT.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING TAR-D HDOF POS, WHICH IS THE N ARR POS AT ATLANTA TRACON (A80). A LINE OF WX WAS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA FROM SW TO NE. THIS LINE WAS IMPACTING THE S DOWNWIND TO RWY 27L AND MOVING TOWARDS THE N DOWNWIND FOR RWY 26R. THE SUPVR, MR X, HAD CALLED AN 80 ARR RATE. THE PATTERN WAS GETTING FULL OF ACFT, WHICH WOULD NORMALLY NOT BE A PROB, BUT WITH TSTMS IN THE AREA, IT LEAVES LITTLE ROOM FOR ANYTHING TO GO WRONG AND STILL MAINTAIN A REASONABLE MARGIN OF SAFETY. MR X IS KNOWN FOR HIS 'RAMBO' ATTITUDE. BY THAT I MEAN, HE WANTS TO GET THE ACFT INTO THE SYS AND KEEP THE ARR RATE HIGH AT ALL COSTS. MR X WAS ASKED BY THE TFC MGMNT SPECIALIST IF HE WANTED TO CHANGE THEIR ARR RATE AND/OR IN-TRAIL SPACING DUE TO THE INCREASING DEMAND AND WX IN THE AREA. MR X RESPONSE WAS, 'NO, BRING 'EM ON!' TYPICAL! AS IT TURNED OUT, THE ARR PATTERN WAS FULL, AND AN ACFT RPTED TAKING A LIGHTNING STRIKE. AFTER THAT, NO OTHER ACFT WOULD GO THROUGH THAT AREA OF WX. ANOTHER ACFT RPTED ENTERING HAIL. I ASKED THE TFC MGMNT SPECIALIST FOR ASSISTANCE, SINCE AT THE TIME, MR X WAS NOT PRESENT IN THE AREA, HE WAS ACROSS THE ROOM. I THEN TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO STOP THE ARRS FROM ZTL ON THE BASE LEG SIDE. THE TAR CTLR WAS NOW IN A VERY UNUSUAL CONFIGN OF VECTORING AIRPLANES FROM THE DOWNWIND BACK N INTO THE BASE LEG TO ACCOMMODATE THE FINAL CTLRS NEED TO KEEP HIS ACFT OUT OF THE HAZARDOUS WX. AS SOON AS MR X RETURNED TO THE WALL, I INFORMED HIM THAT I HAD SHUT OFF THE BASE LEG ARRS. HE ACKNOWLEDGED ME AND THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL THE FINAL CTLR WHERE HE WAS SCREWING UP -- INSTEAD OF DOING HIS JOB AND ADJUSTING THE FLOW TO ALLOW US TO GET THE SIT BACK UNDER CTL. MR X'S NEXT PRIORITY WAS TO GET THE BASE LEG ARRS STARTED BACK IN -- WITHOUT APPARENT REGARD FOR THE APPROPRIATE MARGIN OF SAFETY CONSIDERING THE CIRCUMSTANCES. WHEN THE BASE LEG ARRS STARTED BACK IN, WE WERE STILL IN THE PATTERN (VECTORING TO THE DOWNWIND INSTEAD OF OUR PREFERRED DOWNWIND/BASE FEED) TRYING TO GET THE SIT BACK UNDER CTL. MR X STARTED THE BASE LEG BACK IN WITH MINIMUM SPACING. THIS CAUSED US TO STAY IN THE PATTERN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE TFC MGMNT SPECIALIST WAS ABLE TO INCREASE THE IN-TRAIL SPACING TO ALLOW US TO WORK BACK INTO A NORMAL FEED.

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.