Narrative:

Las vegas tracon is implementing new SOP procedures which I feel place aircraft in an unsafe proximity to the ground. The procedure forces controllers to descend aircraft to 5000 ft and hand off to the next sector. The receiving controller has 4 miles to clear the aircraft for the visual approach to runway 19 right or left before the aircraft enters a 5200 ft MVA. The procedure is 'proceed direct henderson airport then direct the numbers for 25R at las then fly heading 010. Because of new MVA's the controller will have to wait until 5 miles from the airspace boundary between these two sectors before he is able to descend the aircraft to 5000. He will then instruct the aircraft to contact the receiving controller once he gets a read back on the altitude descending too. The receiving controller will then have 4 miles to clear the aircraft. There is no reason why this aircraft cannot be left at 6000 and the receiving controller shall be given control for descent on this aircraft. The facility has changed this procedure for vgt arrivals because of MVA changes. These aircraft were given henderson; numbers for 25R then fly heading 290; VFR at 4500 and IFR at 5000. Now because of a higher MVA northwest of las they want the VFR and the IFR to be at 5000 to clear a 4700 ft MVA. This MVA is 7 miles northwest of las. It just doesn't make sense to justify moving the VFR aircraft altitude up to 5000 because the MVA is a factor but not consider the MVA a factor on las arrivals assigned a 010 heading at 5000 only 4 miles from a 5200 ft MVA. Procedure needs to be aircraft landing las are assigned 6000 with receiving controller having control for descent and none of this will be a factor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: L30 Controller voiced concern regarding a new facility operational procedure that minimized time and distance available to clear aircraft for visual approaches to Runway 19L/R; indicating new MVA's required the procedural change.

Narrative: Las Vegas Tracon is implementing new SOP procedures which I feel place aircraft in an unsafe proximity to the ground. The procedure forces controllers to descend aircraft to 5000 FT and hand off to the next sector. The receiving controller has 4 miles to clear the aircraft for the visual approach to Runway 19 R or L before the aircraft enters a 5200 FT MVA. The procedure is 'proceed direct Henderson airport then direct the numbers for 25R at LAS then fly heading 010. Because of new MVA's the controller will have to wait until 5 miles from the airspace boundary between these two sectors before he is able to descend the aircraft to 5000. He will then instruct the aircraft to contact the receiving controller once he gets a read back on the altitude descending too. The receiving controller will then have 4 miles to clear the aircraft. There is no reason why this aircraft cannot be left at 6000 and the receiving controller shall be given control for descent on this aircraft. The facility has changed this procedure for VGT arrivals because of MVA changes. These aircraft were given Henderson; numbers for 25R then fly heading 290; VFR at 4500 and IFR at 5000. Now because of a higher MVA northwest of LAS they want the VFR and the IFR to be at 5000 to clear a 4700 FT MVA. This MVA is 7 miles northwest of LAS. It just doesn't make sense to justify moving the VFR aircraft altitude up to 5000 because the MVA is a factor but not consider the MVA a factor on LAS arrivals assigned a 010 heading at 5000 only 4 miles from a 5200 FT MVA. Procedure needs to be aircraft landing LAS are assigned 6000 with receiving controller having control for descent and none of this will be a factor.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.