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An air carrier MD88 captain thinks that the ATC system is overloaded at times, especially at night and in the WX.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 341670 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199607 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : zzz |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-88 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach descent other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 160 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 160 |
| ASRS Report | 341670 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
Cutbacks in ATC staffing at night and early morning can probably be justified on paper. However, when a single controller gets all the hourly traffic at once while covering several frequencys, he's more overloaded than a controller under normal circumstances. As a result, we are frequently left high and close to field, unable to break into communications due to near continuous xmissions. This could be hazardous in IFR.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR MD88 CAPT THINKS THAT THE ATC SYS IS OVERLOADED AT TIMES, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT AND IN THE WX.
Narrative: CUTBACKS IN ATC STAFFING AT NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING CAN PROBABLY BE JUSTIFIED ON PAPER. HOWEVER, WHEN A SINGLE CTLR GETS ALL THE HRLY TFC AT ONCE WHILE COVERING SEVERAL FREQS, HE'S MORE OVERLOADED THAN A CTLR UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES. AS A RESULT, WE ARE FREQUENTLY LEFT HIGH AND CLOSE TO FIELD, UNABLE TO BREAK INTO COMS DUE TO NEAR CONTINUOUS XMISSIONS. THIS COULD BE HAZARDOUS IN IFR.
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.