K90 controller described several 'false target' observations; noting the target was heading toward a...

Narrative:

Radar ring around. Potus movement and tfr in place over mvy. Potus on the north east side of the island. Consistent with the same problem that has existed for well over a year; and has still not been fixed; a false target appeared on approximately the mvy 080R 5 DME and was tracking straight toward the restricted potus area. The target exists for 3 radar sweeps and then disappeared. The target appeared as a splat only at 3;000 ft. His flight path was directly at the location of the potus; which was between the splat and the airport. It took a minute to reconcile it; but with no primary target I made the determination that it was not a real target. However; if I had made the wrong determination? Ten minutes later; the exact same thing happened. The beacon code was 3671. At the time of both incidents; there were several witnesses in the room. The problem has become so rampant and so constant; that the radar at K90 has become a joke. No one cares; and I do not see K90 management doing anything to fix or mitigate the problem. It is only a matter of time before a wrong determination is made about these targets and disaster strikes. Recommendation; fix the radar.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: K90 Controller described several 'false target' observations; noting the target was heading toward a Presidential TFR; adding this problem is pervasive and will lead to a wrong target determination at some point.

Narrative: RADAR ring around. POTUS movement and TFR in place over MVY. POTUS on the north east side of the island. Consistent with the same problem that has existed for well over a year; and has still not been fixed; a false target appeared on approximately the MVY 080R 5 DME and was tracking straight toward the restricted POTUS area. The target exists for 3 RADAR sweeps and then disappeared. The target appeared as a splat only at 3;000 FT. His flight path was directly at the location of the POTUS; which was between the splat and the airport. It took a minute to reconcile it; but with no primary target I made the determination that it was not a real target. However; if I had made the wrong determination? Ten minutes later; the exact same thing happened. The beacon code was 3671. At the time of both incidents; there were several witnesses in the room. The problem has become so rampant and so constant; that the RADAR at K90 has become a joke. No one cares; and I do not see K90 management doing anything to fix or mitigate the problem. It is only a matter of time before a wrong determination is made about these targets and disaster strikes. Recommendation; Fix the RADAR.

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.

Attributes
ACN	906298
Time
Date	201008
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	K90.TRACON
State Reference	MA
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Person 1
Function	Approach Departure
Qualification	Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types

K90 controller described several 'false target' observations; noting the target was heading toward a presidential tfr; adding this problem is pervasive and will lead to a wrong target determination at some point.