Narrative:

On nov/xa/98, I had an IFR, who was inbound, declare emergency 30 mi southwest of sav airport. So I revectored him to the closest airport 7 mi south of his position, 2j2. On our video map 5, when keyed up, it has a no information that coincides with an airport. Our previous s-aids had airport information within seconds to give to pilot. However, we have new ids-4's now and I was unable to locate airport information (even checked later, still couldn't find it on ids-4). I did use my keyboard and put in a function to get information and use facility/airport directory. The aircraft, to my knowledge, landed safely. The reason I am writing is since we have had the ids-4, the information has been minimum or some worthless. We definitely don't have emergency airport information and there have only been a few approach plates for sav or lhw, but none for the other 4 airports we control. I am writing to NASA because we get new equipment which I like, but because management has not inserted pertinent information for controllers to use, this becomes useless equipment. The aids equipment we had previously had had no approach plates on it. When I do need to know this information, I use the IAP or position binder. I wrote this to NASA because I believe you will keep this on record, and at least someone other than management will make note of this situation. (And it will be another month before staff who controls it comes back.) solution: staff do their job. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter advised the facility manager was able to have the appropriate staff person address the issue. Within 2 weeks, the reporter advised the emergency airport list in the ids computer had been updated. The reporter was concerned that it took an incident to resolve an issue that was brought forward 2 months prior. When asked about controller input for the new system, the reporter was not aware who had provided a review analysis from a controller perspective. The reporter thought management should have never implemented the new system's availability with partial information. Also, additional charts have been provided at the control sectors for those other uncontrolled airports having instrument arrival departure procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE PROVIDING VECTORS TO AN ACFT IN DISTRESS, A TRACON APCH CTLR ACCESSED A NEW, RECENTLY INSTALLED, SECTOR INFO COMPUTER TO OBTAIN CRITICAL ARPT TECHNICAL DATA. THE DATA PROVIDED WAS DETERMINED BY THE CTLR TO BE INSUFFICIENT. THE CTLR PERCEIVES THAT PERTINENT DATA SHOULD HAVE BEEN INPUT AND AVAILABLE TO CTLRS PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION.

Narrative: ON NOV/XA/98, I HAD AN IFR, WHO WAS INBOUND, DECLARE EMER 30 MI SW OF SAV ARPT. SO I REVECTORED HIM TO THE CLOSEST ARPT 7 MI S OF HIS POS, 2J2. ON OUR VIDEO MAP 5, WHEN KEYED UP, IT HAS A NO INFO THAT COINCIDES WITH AN ARPT. OUR PREVIOUS S-AIDS HAD ARPT INFO WITHIN SECONDS TO GIVE TO PLT. HOWEVER, WE HAVE NEW IDS-4'S NOW AND I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE ARPT INFO (EVEN CHKED LATER, STILL COULDN'T FIND IT ON IDS-4). I DID USE MY KEYBOARD AND PUT IN A FUNCTION TO GET INFO AND USE FACILITY/ARPT DIRECTORY. THE ACFT, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, LANDED SAFELY. THE REASON I AM WRITING IS SINCE WE HAVE HAD THE IDS-4, THE INFO HAS BEEN MINIMUM OR SOME WORTHLESS. WE DEFINITELY DON'T HAVE EMER ARPT INFO AND THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN A FEW APCH PLATES FOR SAV OR LHW, BUT NONE FOR THE OTHER 4 ARPTS WE CTL. I AM WRITING TO NASA BECAUSE WE GET NEW EQUIP WHICH I LIKE, BUT BECAUSE MGMNT HAS NOT INSERTED PERTINENT INFO FOR CTLRS TO USE, THIS BECOMES USELESS EQUIP. THE AIDS EQUIP WE HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD HAD NO APCH PLATES ON IT. WHEN I DO NEED TO KNOW THIS INFO, I USE THE IAP OR POS BINDER. I WROTE THIS TO NASA BECAUSE I BELIEVE YOU WILL KEEP THIS ON RECORD, AND AT LEAST SOMEONE OTHER THAN MGMNT WILL MAKE NOTE OF THIS SIT. (AND IT WILL BE ANOTHER MONTH BEFORE STAFF WHO CTLS IT COMES BACK.) SOLUTION: STAFF DO THEIR JOB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR ADVISED THE FACILITY MGR WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE STAFF PERSON ADDRESS THE ISSUE. WITHIN 2 WKS, THE RPTR ADVISED THE EMER ARPT LIST IN THE IDS COMPUTER HAD BEEN UPDATED. THE RPTR WAS CONCERNED THAT IT TOOK AN INCIDENT TO RESOLVE AN ISSUE THAT WAS BROUGHT FORWARD 2 MONTHS PRIOR. WHEN ASKED ABOUT CTLR INPUT FOR THE NEW SYS, THE RPTR WAS NOT AWARE WHO HAD PROVIDED A REVIEW ANALYSIS FROM A CTLR PERSPECTIVE. THE RPTR THOUGHT MGMNT SHOULD HAVE NEVER IMPLEMENTED THE NEW SYS'S AVAILABILITY WITH PARTIAL INFO. ALSO, ADDITIONAL CHARTS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED AT THE CTL SECTORS FOR THOSE OTHER UNCTLED ARPTS HAVING INST ARR DEP PROCS.

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.