Narrative:

Pensacola TRACON assumes control responsibility for eglin AFB airspace on late night shifts and weekends. Pensacola TRACON must work this airspace off the existing radar coverage provided by the nse ASR-8 radar antenna. The need for a feed off of the vps ASR-11 radar antenna into pensacola approach control has been well documented. This event further documents and demonstrates that need. This mar/xa/03, a flight of 2 T38's were executing an ILS runway 19 approach to vps utilizing military 'drag the wingman' procedures. The controller passed the inbound to the tower, including information that it was a flight of 2 aircraft. A regional air taxi was vectored to follow the T38's on the ILS runway 19, with appropriate spacing. The radar controller, to ensure appropriate separation, called vps tower to ensure the T38's had in fact landed, since our radar coverage does not track aircraft below 2000 ft reliably. Controller was told that the 'flight of 2' had landed, and then switched the air taxi to the tower frequency for landing. Shortly afterward, vps tower called the controller to report that only the lead aircraft had landed, and the whereabouts of the wingman's aircraft were unknown. The controller immediately issued climb out instructions for the air taxi so that flight could clear the area where the wingman might still be flying. It was later confirmed that the pilot had ejected on final, and the jet had crashed area north of the airport. This incident highlights our need for the ASR-11 radar feed for several reasons. One is that the radar controller received no indication from the radar equipment that the wingman had separated from his lead. She might have observed a primary target had she had appropriate radar coverage. Second is that had she had appropriate radar coverage, she could have determined the second T38 was not still airborne and a threat to the air taxi flight. At the very least, this would have lessened her stress and fear. As it is, she is off for a week of 'trauma' workman's compensation leave. The last point is had the pilot gone down with the aircraft, or been injured in his ejection, there is no way that pensacola TRACON could have directed emergency personnel to the vicinity of the scene. The aircraft disappeared from our spotty radar coverage at 2000 ft and 5 mi from the airport. That is a tremendous area for emergency response teams to cover looking for an accident site. Pensacola's TRACON is 'scheduled' to get the ASR-11 feed from vps in june of 2003. This report certainly stands as justification for the expense. Supplemental information from acn 576023: wingman T38 lost sight of lead and crashed. Radar targets fell off into coast track and situation was not observed. Situation was not coordinated with TRACON until an air carrier was 2 mi final in same area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: P31 CTLR QUESTIONS DELAY IN IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW VPS REPLACEMENT RADAR SYS IN CONTEXT OF DELAY IN IDENTING DOWNED T38 ON SHORT FINAL TO VPS ARPT DUE TO EXISTING POOR RADAR COVERAGE IN THE VICINITY OF VPS.

Narrative: PENSACOLA TRACON ASSUMES CTL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EGLIN AFB AIRSPACE ON LATE NIGHT SHIFTS AND WEEKENDS. PENSACOLA TRACON MUST WORK THIS AIRSPACE OFF THE EXISTING RADAR COVERAGE PROVIDED BY THE NSE ASR-8 RADAR ANTENNA. THE NEED FOR A FEED OFF OF THE VPS ASR-11 RADAR ANTENNA INTO PENSACOLA APCH CTL HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED. THIS EVENT FURTHER DOCUMENTS AND DEMONSTRATES THAT NEED. THIS MAR/XA/03, A FLT OF 2 T38'S WERE EXECUTING AN ILS RWY 19 APCH TO VPS UTILIZING MIL 'DRAG THE WINGMAN' PROCS. THE CTLR PASSED THE INBOUND TO THE TWR, INCLUDING INFO THAT IT WAS A FLT OF 2 ACFT. A REGIONAL AIR TAXI WAS VECTORED TO FOLLOW THE T38'S ON THE ILS RWY 19, WITH APPROPRIATE SPACING. THE RADAR CTLR, TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE SEPARATION, CALLED VPS TWR TO ENSURE THE T38'S HAD IN FACT LANDED, SINCE OUR RADAR COVERAGE DOES NOT TRACK ACFT BELOW 2000 FT RELIABLY. CTLR WAS TOLD THAT THE 'FLT OF 2' HAD LANDED, AND THEN SWITCHED THE AIR TAXI TO THE TWR FREQ FOR LNDG. SHORTLY AFTERWARD, VPS TWR CALLED THE CTLR TO RPT THAT ONLY THE LEAD ACFT HAD LANDED, AND THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE WINGMAN'S ACFT WERE UNKNOWN. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY ISSUED CLBOUT INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE AIR TAXI SO THAT FLT COULD CLR THE AREA WHERE THE WINGMAN MIGHT STILL BE FLYING. IT WAS LATER CONFIRMED THAT THE PLT HAD EJECTED ON FINAL, AND THE JET HAD CRASHED AREA N OF THE ARPT. THIS INCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS OUR NEED FOR THE ASR-11 RADAR FEED FOR SEVERAL REASONS. ONE IS THAT THE RADAR CTLR RECEIVED NO INDICATION FROM THE RADAR EQUIP THAT THE WINGMAN HAD SEPARATED FROM HIS LEAD. SHE MIGHT HAVE OBSERVED A PRIMARY TARGET HAD SHE HAD APPROPRIATE RADAR COVERAGE. SECOND IS THAT HAD SHE HAD APPROPRIATE RADAR COVERAGE, SHE COULD HAVE DETERMINED THE SECOND T38 WAS NOT STILL AIRBORNE AND A THREAT TO THE AIR TAXI FLT. AT THE VERY LEAST, THIS WOULD HAVE LESSENED HER STRESS AND FEAR. AS IT IS, SHE IS OFF FOR A WK OF 'TRAUMA' WORKMAN'S COMPENSATION LEAVE. THE LAST POINT IS HAD THE PLT GONE DOWN WITH THE ACFT, OR BEEN INJURED IN HIS EJECTION, THERE IS NO WAY THAT PENSACOLA TRACON COULD HAVE DIRECTED EMER PERSONNEL TO THE VICINITY OF THE SCENE. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM OUR SPOTTY RADAR COVERAGE AT 2000 FT AND 5 MI FROM THE ARPT. THAT IS A TREMENDOUS AREA FOR EMER RESPONSE TEAMS TO COVER LOOKING FOR AN ACCIDENT SITE. PENSACOLA'S TRACON IS 'SCHEDULED' TO GET THE ASR-11 FEED FROM VPS IN JUNE OF 2003. THIS RPT CERTAINLY STANDS AS JUSTIFICATION FOR THE EXPENSE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 576023: WINGMAN T38 LOST SIGHT OF LEAD AND CRASHED. RADAR TARGETS FELL OFF INTO COAST TRACK AND SIT WAS NOT OBSERVED. SIT WAS NOT COORDINATED WITH TRACON UNTIL AN ACR WAS 2 MI FINAL IN SAME AREA.

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.