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ARTCC radar controller descended a commuter aircraft in a holding pattern from 11000 ft to 9000 ft while another aircraft was holding at 10000 ft. Less than standard separation occurred.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 383538 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199710 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : ewr |
| State Reference | NJ |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 10000 msl bound upper : 11000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zbw |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Beech 1900 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | descent other other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Brasilia EMB-120 All Series |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : radar |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Experience | controller radar : 5 |
| ASRS Report | 383538 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : published procedure non adherence : required legal separation |
| Independent Detector | atc equipment other atc equipment : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 18000 vertical : 0 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Operational Error |
Narrative:
We were holding for newark airport due to conflicting runways with teb. We had been holding for at least 50 mins and constantly avoiding the holding patterns at this time with departures out of stewart airport requesting flight levels and westchester lndgs needed to descend below the holding pattern, etc. Just prior to the operational deviation planes were beginning to divert to alternate airports because they couldn't hold anymore and that can start to double or sometimes triple your workload. During all of these activities the radar controller was laddering down the airplanes in the holding stack. The aircraft at 9000 ft was descended to 8000 ft then the aircraft at 11000 ft was descended through the 10000 ft traffic, also holding, down to 9000 ft, where he intended to descend the 10000 ft aircraft from 10000 ft to 9000 ft.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ARTCC RADAR CTLR DSNDED A COMMUTER ACFT IN A HOLDING PATTERN FROM 11000 FT TO 9000 FT WHILE ANOTHER ACFT WAS HOLDING AT 10000 FT. LTSS OCCURRED.
Narrative: WE WERE HOLDING FOR NEWARK ARPT DUE TO CONFLICTING RWYS WITH TEB. WE HAD BEEN HOLDING FOR AT LEAST 50 MINS AND CONSTANTLY AVOIDING THE HOLDING PATTERNS AT THIS TIME WITH DEPS OUT OF STEWART ARPT REQUESTING FLT LEVELS AND WESTCHESTER LNDGS NEEDED TO DSND BELOW THE HOLDING PATTERN, ETC. JUST PRIOR TO THE OPDEV PLANES WERE BEGINNING TO DIVERT TO ALTERNATE ARPTS BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T HOLD ANYMORE AND THAT CAN START TO DOUBLE OR SOMETIMES TRIPLE YOUR WORKLOAD. DURING ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES THE RADAR CTLR WAS LADDERING DOWN THE AIRPLANES IN THE HOLDING STACK. THE ACFT AT 9000 FT WAS DSNDED TO 8000 FT THEN THE ACFT AT 11000 FT WAS DSNDED THROUGH THE 10000 FT TFC, ALSO HOLDING, DOWN TO 9000 FT, WHERE HE INTENDED TO DSND THE 10000 FT ACFT FROM 10000 FT TO 9000 FT.
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.