Equipment Failure at ZLA
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Equipment Failure at ZLA
In the US at Los Angeles Center there was a shutdown of the communications system for the facility. The radios went dead for around four hours. The cause: an automatic shutdown due to failure to inspect the equipment. "Safety was never an issue," although there were a couple deals.
This incident leads me to reminisce about the various "glitches" I've encountered over the years, and one leaps to mind. Working at Denver Center in the early days of automation, we would revert to broadband when the system crashed - a regular occurance. One day it crashed and, additionally, the North Arrival guy's scope went dead after he'd gone to broadband. He just "buddied-up" with the scope next to him, the departure sector, and they both worked off the one scope.
After a bit, Maintainence arrived with a new scope, and at that moment both controllers had stepped back from the position and were doing coordination with controllers at adjacent scopes. The maintainence guy took a look at the two scopes, decided which was broken and went to the scope the controllers were using. He swept all the shrimp-boats off their scope and started shutting the thing off.
I admire people who make decisions, but there are times when caution should rule!
Anyone else have "interesting" stories about equipment failures?
ATCEA.com - It's good fer ya!
This incident leads me to reminisce about the various "glitches" I've encountered over the years, and one leaps to mind. Working at Denver Center in the early days of automation, we would revert to broadband when the system crashed - a regular occurance. One day it crashed and, additionally, the North Arrival guy's scope went dead after he'd gone to broadband. He just "buddied-up" with the scope next to him, the departure sector, and they both worked off the one scope.
After a bit, Maintainence arrived with a new scope, and at that moment both controllers had stepped back from the position and were doing coordination with controllers at adjacent scopes. The maintainence guy took a look at the two scopes, decided which was broken and went to the scope the controllers were using. He swept all the shrimp-boats off their scope and started shutting the thing off.
I admire people who make decisions, but there are times when caution should rule!
Anyone else have "interesting" stories about equipment failures?
ATCEA.com - It's good fer ya!
