Mon, Mar 05, 2007
Group Claims ATOP Failure Affected Roughly 70 Planes
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association reports at 0100
EST the morning of March 5, there was a failure of the Advanced
Technologies and Ocean Procedures (ATOP) system that New York
Center air traffic controllers use to handle aircraft over the
Atlantic Ocean.
A controller working the South Atlantic Sector -- one of three
ATOP sectors that were open, according to NATCA -- first reported a
CPAR failure. A CPAR failure is an indication to the controller
that the protected profile of a particular flight has been
corrupted. The only solution is to delete the flight plan from the
system, and re-input all pertinent data for that flight, to ensure
that the profile of the flight is protected in the system.
A controller working the North Atlantic Sectors looked at her
sector messages and commented that she just had two CPAR failures.
The original controller then stated that every aircraft in her
sector had CPAR failed -- approximately 20 planes.
The controller working the North Atlantic stated the roughly 35
flights she was tracking were also CPAR failing. Controllers asked
the controller working the Caribbean traffic if he was also having
CPAR failures and he said yes, all his fights were now failing --
approximately 12 aircraft.
Flights leaving the United States had to be diverted back to
Boston Center.
NATCA claims the Federal Aviation Administration's catastrophic
plan in place for ATOP "failed miserably" -- and that it was the
"outstanding work" of the nine controllers that kept the situation
in check.
As of 1130 EST Monday, the system is still unstable... and the
planned traffic for tonight will be one of the top 10 busiest
nights of the year for New York Center, based on the Jet Stream and
the projected traffic flows, according to New York Center
controllers.
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