Originally Posted by
ATC Watcher
What is far more worrying for me is the 2nd total loss of SSRs. Not only does the a/c becomes invisible to ATC ( as most new ATC systems are SSR only ) but also invisible to TCAS, the last safety net .
In both caes ( LOT last Sept and now here 2 days ago) the loss of SSR was detected by ATC , but one day it could remain undetected and a Brazilian scenario a la Gol/Legacy could repeat itself.
Not good .
So tell me again why it was a good idea to go to only cooperative surveillance systems? It doesn't have to be a 9/11 issue where the bad guys know to turn off the transponder - you can get the same effect from a lightning strike. All of a sudden your aircraft is totally invisible. Brilliant.