Narrative:

I was the final radar controller for 1 hour 50 mins; of which a full 30 mins were pure pandemonium. During this time; we either exceeded our arrival rate or got the whole hour worth of traffic in the 1/2 hour window. There was training on south radar which became a factor. The trainee got behind the power curve and the airspace was getting overburdened. Someone needed to slow the problem down. Tmu and supervisors remained oblivious. We controllers had to tell them to stop departures and hold arrs. We had 3 supervisors on the control room floor; a tmu guy and what should have been a little arrival push became a real cluster. The recurring problem at anchorage TRACON is that there are 'too many chiefs and not enough indians.' we have too many supervisors and not enough controllers. The tmu guy was fighting with their zan counterparts who do not know how to set up and properly flow traffic into anchorage airspace. The TRACON supervisor on the desk was arguing with the tower supervisor. The remaining supervisors on the floor were offering no assistance. They micromanaged the problem to distraction. 1 supervisor actually stated we needed to come out of the upwind because there were arrs coming in. So what? The feeds to my sector were finally becoming consistent. The trainee on south followed the supervisor's orders and began jamming me on the base without speed restrs which necessitated excessive vectors across final and radical speed control on my part to salvage the scenario. Basically; there were no operrors (that I observed) but these supervisors who cannot control traffic and have no people skills are distracting controllers during the most critical phases of flight and we need to document the steady decline of this agency. All journeyman controllers are forced to work 6-DAY work weeks. The trainees we get are straight out of college and do not know the first thing about talking to or vectoring planes. They will not certify for at least 2 yrs. The controller work force has been gutted to less than 50% staffing at A11; while the supervisory ranks are at 125%! Controllers are tired; fatigued; harassed; distraction; unmotivated; unappreciated and bad things are going to start happening.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A11 TRACON CTLR DESCRIBED BUSY COMPLEX TFC PERIOD; CLAIMING POOR MGMNT/TMU OVERSIGHT; SUPVR DISTRACTIONS AND STAFFING AS CONTRIBUTORY.

Narrative: I WAS THE FINAL RADAR CTLR FOR 1 HR 50 MINS; OF WHICH A FULL 30 MINS WERE PURE PANDEMONIUM. DURING THIS TIME; WE EITHER EXCEEDED OUR ARR RATE OR GOT THE WHOLE HR WORTH OF TFC IN THE 1/2 HR WINDOW. THERE WAS TRAINING ON S RADAR WHICH BECAME A FACTOR. THE TRAINEE GOT BEHIND THE PWR CURVE AND THE AIRSPACE WAS GETTING OVERBURDENED. SOMEONE NEEDED TO SLOW THE PROB DOWN. TMU AND SUPVRS REMAINED OBLIVIOUS. WE CTLRS HAD TO TELL THEM TO STOP DEPS AND HOLD ARRS. WE HAD 3 SUPVRS ON THE CTL ROOM FLOOR; A TMU GUY AND WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE ARR PUSH BECAME A REAL CLUSTER. THE RECURRING PROB AT ANCHORAGE TRACON IS THAT THERE ARE 'TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS.' WE HAVE TOO MANY SUPVRS AND NOT ENOUGH CTLRS. THE TMU GUY WAS FIGHTING WITH THEIR ZAN COUNTERPARTS WHO DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SET UP AND PROPERLY FLOW TFC INTO ANCHORAGE AIRSPACE. THE TRACON SUPVR ON THE DESK WAS ARGUING WITH THE TWR SUPVR. THE REMAINING SUPVRS ON THE FLOOR WERE OFFERING NO ASSISTANCE. THEY MICROMANAGED THE PROB TO DISTR. 1 SUPVR ACTUALLY STATED WE NEEDED TO COME OUT OF THE UPWIND BECAUSE THERE WERE ARRS COMING IN. SO WHAT? THE FEEDS TO MY SECTOR WERE FINALLY BECOMING CONSISTENT. THE TRAINEE ON S FOLLOWED THE SUPVR'S ORDERS AND BEGAN JAMMING ME ON THE BASE WITHOUT SPD RESTRS WHICH NECESSITATED EXCESSIVE VECTORS ACROSS FINAL AND RADICAL SPD CTL ON MY PART TO SALVAGE THE SCENARIO. BASICALLY; THERE WERE NO OPERRORS (THAT I OBSERVED) BUT THESE SUPVRS WHO CANNOT CTL TFC AND HAVE NO PEOPLE SKILLS ARE DISTRACTING CTLRS DURING THE MOST CRITICAL PHASES OF FLT AND WE NEED TO DOCUMENT THE STEADY DECLINE OF THIS AGENCY. ALL JOURNEYMAN CTLRS ARE FORCED TO WORK 6-DAY WORK WKS. THE TRAINEES WE GET ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE AND DO NOT KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT TALKING TO OR VECTORING PLANES. THEY WILL NOT CERTIFY FOR AT LEAST 2 YRS. THE CTLR WORK FORCE HAS BEEN GUTTED TO LESS THAN 50% STAFFING AT A11; WHILE THE SUPERVISORY RANKS ARE AT 125%! CTLRS ARE TIRED; FATIGUED; HARASSED; DISTR; UNMOTIVATED; UNAPPRECIATED AND BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING.

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.