Narrative:

For several months; bos departures exiting the terminal area to the south into ZBW's cape sector would encounter an erroneous mode C on an aircraft that was obviously down low. The mode C would always read 215 steady. Each time the controller at the sector had this situation; he/she would alert the supervisor of the target. This happened to me personally at least a dozen times. This would require us to call the traffic to jet departures that would be climbing through that altitude this also often required the use of vertical separation or vectors to avoid. Usually the traffic would acknowledge the existence of the target on their TCAS. This became a huge nuisance and was a safety issue since at times the target would appear intermittently. Around XA00; I was working the sector and was fed up that nothing was being done to track this problem aircraft. I personally tracked the target to the ZZZ) airport when it disappeared. I promptly told the supervisor to get the emergency binder and call ZZZ airport's FBO; which he did. He asked the gentleman on the other end of the phone to advise the aircraft that his mode C was bad and to get it checked right away or fly without it turned on. At the moment; I was satisfied that the aircraft was idented although nobody had a tail number. I was at work the next morning. Around XS00 the target was flying again and the mode C read 215. This was obviously the same guy. This time; I took it upon myself to watch him from another sector. I tracked him again to the ZZZ airport and it was evident that touch-and-goes were in progress. I called the FBO and asked that he give me the tail number of the aircraft in the pattern. I called when it was on short final so I could tell the FBO person where the aircraft was. He said he would get that information and call us back. I informed the (different) supervisor that he would be getting a call at the desk with the tail number of this nuisance aircraft. Several mins later the call came in and the tail number was X; a C152 training aircraft based at ZZZ. This supervisor told me he advised the caller that this aircraft should not operate with his mode C in the 'on' position and it should be fixed right away. Knowing that this did not help the previous day; I asked that the supervisor contact boston FSDO and inform them of the situation since they would be the proper authority/authorized and not us. After all; simply advising the aircraft through the FBO was not effective; especially since this was a training aircraft with multiple pilots. Mr X then gave me some song and dance about these people being our customers and that this was a more user friendly venue for fixing the issue than having the 'heavy hand of the FAA come down on this guy.' translation: supervisor refused to call FSDO with the information. When I was relieved from position; I found FSDO's number thanks to internet and was able to contact the individual that handles bad mode C aircraft. I left him a message. He returned my call within about 10 mins and told me this aircraft was reported by pvd approach and was ordered to fix the problem. He advised me that right after he got my message; he grounded the aircraft. When I told my peers what I had done; they all expressed huge relief that the target would no longer be appearing in front of our boston departures. This was a serious safety issue that went unchked by FAA management for months and would likely have never been resolved except for my action to bring it to a close. This situation highlights what happens when; as in the current FAA; you isolate controllers on the front lines and management runs amuck in the backgnd; out of touch with the reality of live ATC.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZBW CTLR DESCRIBED MULTIPLE FALSE MODE C EVENTS RESULTING IN FALSE ALT WARNINGS; ACFT ID; REPORTED TO FSDO AND GROUNDED.

Narrative: FOR SEVERAL MONTHS; BOS DEPS EXITING THE TERMINAL AREA TO THE S INTO ZBW'S CAPE SECTOR WOULD ENCOUNTER AN ERRONEOUS MODE C ON AN ACFT THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY DOWN LOW. THE MODE C WOULD ALWAYS READ 215 STEADY. EACH TIME THE CTLR AT THE SECTOR HAD THIS SIT; HE/SHE WOULD ALERT THE SUPVR OF THE TARGET. THIS HAPPENED TO ME PERSONALLY AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES. THIS WOULD REQUIRE US TO CALL THE TFC TO JET DEPS THAT WOULD BE CLBING THROUGH THAT ALT THIS ALSO OFTEN REQUIRED THE USE OF VERT SEPARATION OR VECTORS TO AVOID. USUALLY THE TFC WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF THE TARGET ON THEIR TCAS. THIS BECAME A HUGE NUISANCE AND WAS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE AT TIMES THE TARGET WOULD APPEAR INTERMITTENTLY. AROUND XA00; I WAS WORKING THE SECTOR AND WAS FED UP THAT NOTHING WAS BEING DONE TO TRACK THIS PROB ACFT. I PERSONALLY TRACKED THE TARGET TO THE ZZZ) ARPT WHEN IT DISAPPEARED. I PROMPTLY TOLD THE SUPVR TO GET THE EMER BINDER AND CALL ZZZ ARPT'S FBO; WHICH HE DID. HE ASKED THE GENTLEMAN ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE TO ADVISE THE ACFT THAT HIS MODE C WAS BAD AND TO GET IT CHKED RIGHT AWAY OR FLY WITHOUT IT TURNED ON. AT THE MOMENT; I WAS SATISFIED THAT THE ACFT WAS IDENTED ALTHOUGH NOBODY HAD A TAIL NUMBER. I WAS AT WORK THE NEXT MORNING. AROUND XS00 THE TARGET WAS FLYING AGAIN AND THE MODE C READ 215. THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY THE SAME GUY. THIS TIME; I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO WATCH HIM FROM ANOTHER SECTOR. I TRACKED HIM AGAIN TO THE ZZZ ARPT AND IT WAS EVIDENT THAT TOUCH-AND-GOES WERE IN PROGRESS. I CALLED THE FBO AND ASKED THAT HE GIVE ME THE TAIL NUMBER OF THE ACFT IN THE PATTERN. I CALLED WHEN IT WAS ON SHORT FINAL SO I COULD TELL THE FBO PERSON WHERE THE ACFT WAS. HE SAID HE WOULD GET THAT INFO AND CALL US BACK. I INFORMED THE (DIFFERENT) SUPVR THAT HE WOULD BE GETTING A CALL AT THE DESK WITH THE TAIL NUMBER OF THIS NUISANCE ACFT. SEVERAL MINS LATER THE CALL CAME IN AND THE TAIL NUMBER WAS X; A C152 TRAINING ACFT BASED AT ZZZ. THIS SUPVR TOLD ME HE ADVISED THE CALLER THAT THIS ACFT SHOULD NOT OPERATE WITH HIS MODE C IN THE 'ON' POS AND IT SHOULD BE FIXED RIGHT AWAY. KNOWING THAT THIS DID NOT HELP THE PREVIOUS DAY; I ASKED THAT THE SUPVR CONTACT BOSTON FSDO AND INFORM THEM OF THE SITUATION SINCE THEY WOULD BE THE PROPER AUTH AND NOT US. AFTER ALL; SIMPLY ADVISING THE ACFT THROUGH THE FBO WAS NOT EFFECTIVE; ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS WAS A TRAINING ACFT WITH MULTIPLE PLTS. MR X THEN GAVE ME SOME SONG AND DANCE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE BEING OUR CUSTOMERS AND THAT THIS WAS A MORE USER FRIENDLY VENUE FOR FIXING THE ISSUE THAN HAVING THE 'HVY HAND OF THE FAA COME DOWN ON THIS GUY.' TRANSLATION: SUPVR REFUSED TO CALL FSDO WITH THE INFO. WHEN I WAS RELIEVED FROM POS; I FOUND FSDO'S NUMBER THANKS TO INTERNET AND WAS ABLE TO CONTACT THE INDIVIDUAL THAT HANDLES BAD MODE C ACFT. I LEFT HIM A MESSAGE. HE RETURNED MY CALL WITHIN ABOUT 10 MINS AND TOLD ME THIS ACFT WAS RPTED BY PVD APCH AND WAS ORDERED TO FIX THE PROB. HE ADVISED ME THAT RIGHT AFTER HE GOT MY MESSAGE; HE GNDED THE ACFT. WHEN I TOLD MY PEERS WHAT I HAD DONE; THEY ALL EXPRESSED HUGE RELIEF THAT THE TARGET WOULD NO LONGER BE APPEARING IN FRONT OF OUR BOSTON DEPS. THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT WENT UNCHKED BY FAA MGMNT FOR MONTHS AND WOULD LIKELY HAVE NEVER BEEN RESOLVED EXCEPT FOR MY ACTION TO BRING IT TO A CLOSE. THIS SITUATION HIGHLIGHTS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN; AS IN THE CURRENT FAA; YOU ISOLATE CTLRS ON THE FRONT LINES AND MGMNT RUNS AMUCK IN THE BACKGND; OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE REALITY OF LIVE ATC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.