Author Topic: Atlanta controller joke causes go around  (Read 35008 times)

Offline chrismeadrn

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Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« on: June 13, 2014, 09:00:25 PM »
News story just popped up in my news feed.  Sounds like it was 4:45PM on 6/12/14. http://www.cbs46.com/story/25766797/faa-investigating-air-traffic-controllers-tower-joke?autostart=true



Offline dave

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2014, 09:02:22 PM »
This is the audio clip of the incident.  Not exactly funny.  Unintended consequences of trying to be funny.


Offline Acey

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2014, 01:11:55 AM »
Terrible idea, but I find myself hoping he doesn't face serious repercussions because of this.

Offline Shokapik

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2014, 03:09:56 PM »
Hi !

Would someone help me to understand this audio clip ? Well, at least the first 45 seconds. Can't really understand the whole thing that prompted the controller to make that joke. I mean, the reason was that Delta 630 told him they didn't have a gate yet. But I can't get the all conversation. Here is what my ARTCC controller ears can make out :

DAL630 : "Tower, Delta 6-30 heavy, [...] 2-7 left"
TWR : "Delta 6-30 heavy, Atlanta Tower, wind 2-3-0 at 1-4, runway 2-7 left, cleared to land"
DAL630 : "Cleared to land, 2-7 left, uuuuh we do not have a gate yet [...] if you got some place for us to park while we sort it out"
TWR : "Delta 6-30 go around" ... "I'm kidding Delta 6-30 after your landing I got no one behind you expect exit right second high-speed [...]"
TWR : "Delta 6-30 you copied ?"
DAL630 : "All right say again ?"
TWR : "Expect [...] second high-speed [...] Delta 6-30 you're cleared to land [...] 2-7 left"
DAL630 : "We've [...] around Delta 6-30"


Thanks ;)

Offline bigj93702

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2014, 06:41:53 PM »
Wow! The "just kidding" comment is inappropriate - and as a layman (I am just a fan of aviation) - this is worse than the situation a few years back when children were let in the Controller Tower to say "cleared for takeoff" while sitting on their Dad's lap.

Anyway, at the least the Joke caused confusion with the pilots at the point of landing / takeoff (where 80% of crashes happen).

Thanks for the posting!

Offline Rick108

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2014, 08:45:40 PM »
As a pilot, you are taught from day 1 that when you hear "go around" on short approach, you immediately react, without hesitation, and sort out the "why" later.  You should be primed for a go around with every landing.  I'm sure these pilots reacted to the "go around" command before the controller even finished transmitting it, as they should have.  They probably never heard the rest of it, including the "just kidding" part, because they were very busy aborting the landing.  Not funny...

Offline notaperfectpilot

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2014, 08:55:52 PM »
I think the pilots blocked the part of the controllers message in their read back, as you can hear two people talking over each other (the controller, and I think the pilot). I can hear the pilot saying "Delta 630 on the go", while the controller is saying "I'm kidding", so likely the pilots didn't hear the "I'm kidding part".

Offline Jayhawk

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2014, 09:05:44 PM »
Terrible idea, but I find myself hoping he doesn't face serious repercussions because of this.

No.

 He wasted time and money and possibly safety. I hope he gets the book thrown at him.

Offline Shokapik

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2014, 05:25:09 AM »
Here's what I caught (copying-pasting yours and making some corrections/insertions)..

DAL630 : "Tower, Delta 6-30 heavy, DEPOT 2-7 left" (DEPOT is the FAF for ILS RWY 27; common to hear APP say "over (FAF) contact TWR")
TWR : "Delta 6-30 heavy, Atlanta Tower, wind 2-3-0 at 1-4, runway 2-7 left, cleared to land"
DAL630 : "Cleared to land, 2-7 left, uuuuh we do not have a gate yet so you might wanna figure out some place for us to park while we sort it out"
TWR : "Delta 6-30 go around" ... "I'm kidding Delta 6-30 after your landing I got no one behind you expect exit right second high-speed we'll... we'll hide you out somewhere down by Papa"
TWR : "Delta 6-30 you copied ?"
DAL630 : "Sorry, say again ?"
TWR : "Expect exit second high-speed November Two... Delta 6-30 you're cleared to land runway 2-7 left" (N2 is the 2nd high-speed after SC)
DAL630 : "You sent us around; Delta 6-30's on the go"

Thank you so much swa4678 ! And for your extra explanations as well, very interesting !

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2014, 03:30:39 PM »
I don't think of a joke in this, the controller heard: "We don't have a gate yet, you may wanna pick up a place first to park, while we sort it out".
He might as well thought of a holding place, then he realized about the park comment and
tried to correct that.

The fast thinking here to understand this took me 3 times listening to the audio, it is something you don't expect at short final.

So the first thing crossing his mind was - there not ready to land yet and then realized they can do that on the ground - a matter of realizing how it was meant....
« Last Edit: June 15, 2014, 03:33:44 PM by Jetblast1 »

Offline StuSEL

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2014, 10:05:26 PM »
Initially reading the story, I thought the "Go around" transmission was connected to the same transmission as "just kidding," but to hear the "Go around" instruction be followed with nothing else, it makes the story even less amusing.

Offline livetofly

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2014, 12:02:50 AM »
Gotta love the reporting.  This site claims they circled for "almost an hour and a half" .  My first thought was they probably don't have enough reserve fuel to circle for that long ...

Clearly they did not circle for an hour
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL630/history/20140611/1845Z/KDTW/KATL

Offline n07cfi

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2014, 07:24:17 AM »
While the situation was regrettable for the controller's actions, the amount of media attention it is getting is bad.  You know how it is, aviation stories written by overzealous writers who know zero about the industry for the sake of sensationalism.   

Offline notaperfectpilot

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2014, 07:32:05 AM »
Gotta love the reporting.  This site claims they circled for "almost an hour and a half" .  My first thought was they probably don't have enough reserve fuel to circle for that long ...

Clearly they did not circle for an hour
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL630/history/20140611/1845Z/KDTW/KATL

what's even better is this one..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2658879/Delta-plane-aborts-landing-JOKE-air-traffic-controller.html

Quote: "According to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident, the plane had reached as low as 1,000ft before ascending back to 40,000ft. (!)  :-o

Offline iskyfly

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2014, 01:58:16 PM »
No place for this controller in ATC.


Offline dave

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Re: Atlanta controller joke causes go around
« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2014, 02:16:34 PM »
This thread is now closed.  Plenty of good points made - and as usual the media seldom gets anything in aviation right, even when they're given the real facts by the FAA and others.  Nothing new.  And since journalism is in a serious decline, I doubt it will get better.

Nobody here is in a position to be the judge and jury.  That is a job for the folks who are charged with that duty.  If you want that job, go apply for it.