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Far TRACON controller voiced concern regarding scheduled ARTS outages during hours of operations when non operational hours are available.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 729954 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200703 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : far.airport |
| State Reference | ND |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : iad.tower |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller radar : 1 controller supervisory : 1 |
| ASRS Report | 729954 |
| Events | |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | FAA Maintenance Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Maintenance Human Performance |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : far.tracon |
Narrative:
The FAA and far management continues to allow routine maintenance checks like ARTS and radar outages while far cpc's operate the far approach control airspace. It makes no sense to do these checks/equipment outages while far cpc's are using the radar equipment. This puts the controller in jeopardy of error and puts the flying public at risk. These outages take place on a weekly basis. Solution: all scheduled/routine maintenance outages concerning ARTS; or other radar type quip outages be conducted during the hours when far approach control operations are xferred to ZMP. Far xfers its radar operations to ZMP during the late night hours. These routine outages could be done during this time period without any negative effect to any ATC controller's operations; due to far being a VFR tower. Again; taking the equipment out while far controllers are using it places the flying public at risk and puts the controller at greater risk for potential error.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: FAR TRACON CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING SCHEDULED ARTS OUTAGES DURING HOURS OF OPS WHEN NON OPERATIONAL HOURS ARE AVAILABLE.
Narrative: THE FAA AND FAR MGMNT CONTINUES TO ALLOW ROUTINE MAINT CHKS LIKE ARTS AND RADAR OUTAGES WHILE FAR CPC'S OPERATE THE FAR APCH CTL AIRSPACE. IT MAKES NO SENSE TO DO THESE CHKS/EQUIP OUTAGES WHILE FAR CPC'S ARE USING THE RADAR EQUIP. THIS PUTS THE CTLR IN JEOPARDY OF ERROR AND PUTS THE FLYING PUBLIC AT RISK. THESE OUTAGES TAKE PLACE ON A WKLY BASIS. SOLUTION: ALL SCHEDULED/ROUTINE MAINT OUTAGES CONCERNING ARTS; OR OTHER RADAR TYPE QUIP OUTAGES BE CONDUCTED DURING THE HRS WHEN FAR APCH CTL OPS ARE XFERRED TO ZMP. FAR XFERS ITS RADAR OPS TO ZMP DURING THE LATE NIGHT HRS. THESE ROUTINE OUTAGES COULD BE DONE DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WITHOUT ANY NEGATIVE EFFECT TO ANY ATC CTLR'S OPS; DUE TO FAR BEING A VFR TWR. AGAIN; TAKING THE EQUIP OUT WHILE FAR CTLRS ARE USING IT PLACES THE FLYING PUBLIC AT RISK AND PUTS THE CTLR AT GREATER RISK FOR POTENTIAL ERROR.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.