ATC radar shutdown for maintenance during day shift.

Attributes
ACN	276979
Time
Date	199407
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : spi
State Reference	IL
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : chs
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : approach
Qualification	controller : radar
ASRS Report	276979
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	oversight : supervisor
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Navigational Facility
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Occasional repairs and maintenance on FAA equipment is a necessity and not a matter of debate. The scheduling of this maintenance is, however, a matter of great debate at our facility. A problem developed in our secondary radar. Several weeks later, without any input from the controller workforce, repairs requiring the shutdown of both primary and secondary radar were scheduled. With an obvious indifference for the safety of the flying public, the facility management and airways facility sector office displayed a blatant disregard for their own national order 7210.3 3-2b by scheduling the outage during the hours of operation of the approach control. Our approach control is inoperative from the hours of 2300 CST to 0600 CST, yet the repairs were scheduled during morning shift. Additionally, with thunderstorms forecast for the area, the repairs were not postponed. This negated ATC's ability to provide WX avoidance information or vectors around the thunderstorms and their inherent dangers.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATC RADAR SHUTDOWN FOR MAINT DURING DAY SHIFT.

Narrative: OCCASIONAL REPAIRS AND MAINT ON FAA EQUIP IS A NECESSITY AND NOT A MATTER OF DEBATE. THE SCHEDULING OF THIS MAINT IS, HOWEVER, A MATTER OF GREAT DEBATE AT OUR FACILITY. A PROB DEVELOPED IN OUR SECONDARY RADAR. SEVERAL WKS LATER, WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM THE CTLR WORKFORCE, REPAIRS REQUIRING THE SHUTDOWN OF BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RADAR WERE SCHEDULED. WITH AN OBVIOUS INDIFFERENCE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLYING PUBLIC, THE FACILITY MGMNT AND AIRWAYS FACILITY SECTOR OFFICE DISPLAYED A BLATANT DISREGARD FOR THEIR OWN NATIONAL ORDER 7210.3 3-2B BY SCHEDULING THE OUTAGE DURING THE HRS OF OP OF THE APCH CTL. OUR APCH CTL IS INOP FROM THE HRS OF 2300 CST TO 0600 CST, YET THE REPAIRS WERE SCHEDULED DURING MORNING SHIFT. ADDITIONALLY, WITH TSTMS FORECAST FOR THE AREA, THE REPAIRS WERE NOT POSTPONED. THIS NEGATED ATC'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE WX AVOIDANCE INFO OR VECTORS AROUND THE TSTMS AND THEIR INHERENT DANGERS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.