What's going on with ZME?

[cessna157]

Just noticed on the FAA's OIS website that all traffic to and through ZME is ground stopped due to equipment outage and that ZME is entire off the air.
Anyone have any more info?

[zmeatc]

I'm a real controller at memphis center. Just got off work and it was CRAZY!!!!! Lost all freqs. That means backup freqs too. Lost all land lines. We were using are cell phones to call ZFW, ZKC, ZID, ZTL...etc to tell them we lost all comms and to take aircraft back. We went ATC-0 for about an hour. We are slowly allowing traffic back into are airspace. Very scary time today to say the least!

[cactushp]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/25/memphis.air.snafu/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

I'm guessing some utility worker made a mistake and cut the line to the center...

[digger]

I'm guessing some utility worker made a mistake and cut the line to the center...

Careful there, Cactus. "Some utility worker cut..." could be construed to mean a guy on a backhoe. (Not that I've never made a mistake and cut something I shouldn't have. ) But it wasn't one of us this time. 

The article says:

The malfunction, which occurred inside a telephone company's switching office,...

[IndyTower]

I have a friend who's a developmental at ZME.  She had the day off today, but was telling me she wished she could have been there to see the "excitement."  I'm guessing she wouldn't have found it too exciting if she was working traffic at the time.

[tyketto]

I'm a real controller at memphis center. Just got off work and it was CRAZY!!!!! Lost all freqs. That means backup freqs too. Lost all land lines. We were using are cell phones to call ZFW, ZKC, ZID, ZTL...etc to tell them we lost all comms and to take aircraft back. We went ATC-0 for about an hour. We are slowly allowing traffic back into are airspace. Very scary time today to say the least!

This brings up a good question.

A couple of years ago, when wildfires threatened Palmdale and ZLA Center had to evacuate, LOAs were in place between ZLA, ZAB, ZOA, and ZLC to extend the borders of their respective airspace to cover areas closer to them (ZOA would cover the BTY/OAL corridor down to L30, as well as through SoCal, ZAB would cover out to PSP and up to GCN, ZLC would cover down to LAS, or something like that). Aren't there similar LOAs set up with ZMA and surrounding sectors?

BL.

[cessna157]

Speculation approaching:
I'm sure there are backup plans for the loss of a facility.  I'd think the centers surrounding ZME would be able to take over very easily.  But this wasn't the loss of a facility, this was a loss of the network.  Without the frequencies and radar antennae, the surrounding centers would be just as blind.

[zmeatc]

Yes there are LOA's setup for this kind of thing. All the others Centers/Tracons around us was working just fine. Even Memphis ATCT was normal. An example of the LOA in the area I work in Which is the "new west" RZC approach only owns up too 15,000 feet and we own above it. Well when we went ATC-0 RZC approach took over the airspace up to FL230. ZFW took FL230 and above for the area. So this is the same throught out the center. ZKC, ZFW, ZID, ZHU, ZTL, MEM, BNA, JAN, RZC, LIT...etc were all involved with airspace take over in yesterday's mess. The crazy thing was we still had radar just no freqs or land lines. So pretty much everything was taken care of by the use of a big no no....are cell phones.

[tyketto]

Yes there are LOA's setup for this kind of thing. All the others Centers/Tracons around us was working just fine. Even Memphis ATCT was normal. An example of the LOA in the area I work in Which is the "new west" RZC approach only owns up too 15,000 feet and we own above it. Well when we went ATC-0 RZC approach took over the airspace up to FL230. ZFW took FL230 and above for the area. So this is the same throught out the center. ZKC, ZFW, ZID, ZHU, ZTL, MEM, BNA, JAN, RZC, LIT...etc were all involved with airspace take over in yesterday's mess. The crazy thing was we still had radar just no freqs or land lines. So pretty much everything was taken care of by the use of a big no no....are cell phones.

This is really good to know. Thank you for sharing this. Do you happen to know if LOAs like these are available for online (read: our/public) perusal? If they are too confidential, we surely understand, but would they be available somewhere, or would they have to be requested under FOIA?

BL.

[zmeatc]

I'm sure the public can view all of these LOA's I'm just not sure where to look for them. All of my LOA's were given to me at work to study, but they only gave me LOA's that deal with my area. Everything now is on computers and such or ERIDS which is just an over-sized PDA on a swing arm at every sector. I've been trying to get the updated LOA's that came out last month in my area from the training department, but this is turning out to be a rat race.....Thats the FAA for you. Today is my friday so when I go back to work I'll ask my area manager if he knows where I could find these outside of the center.

[Jason]

This is really good to know. Thank you for sharing this. Do you happen to know if LOAs like these are available for online (read: our/public) perusal? If they are too confidential, we surely understand, but would they be available somewhere, or would they have to be requested under FOIA?

BL.

FOIA is the only way I know for the public to obtain actual LOAs and SOPs.

[digger]

Communications Failure at Memphis Airport Highlights FAA Negligence

Harris FTI Deficiencies Continue to Risk Safety Around the Country


MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 26 PRNewswire-USNewswire — Yesterday's communications outage at Memphis International Airport was completely preventable, says the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), the union that represents Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technicians. At fault is the FAA's failure to address serious deficiencies in Harris Corporation's Federal Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI), which provides circuitry and communications for the FAA.


The outage was caused by the loss of a circuit card at subcontractor Bell South's central office, which prevented telecommunication lines from feeding information to air traffic and ultimately resulted in a complete shutdown of radar, radio and telephone contact at the Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center. Previously, when communications lines failed, a backup telecommunications system automatically came online to support these vital systems until the primary communications lines could be restored, thus preventing a full-scale failure. However, the FAA lowered the standards and definition for diversity in order to award this contract to Harris. As an effort to make the FTI contract more profitable, Harris Corporation merged the backup path for these systems together.


"The problem we experienced in Memphis yesterday should not have happened and illustrates the FAA's complete and utter refusal to accept the reality that the FTI contract is impacting the safety of the flying public," said Dave Spero, PASS regional vice president. "The FAA has given Harris the keys to the kingdom even though they have a proven track record of failing to provide this critical service. The FAA has spent billions of dollars replacing what they deemed to be antiquated telecommunications systems; ironically, the antiquated systems operated much more successfully and safely than what Harris FTI is providing."


The FTI program was introduced by the FAA as a cost-saving measure; however, according to the Inspector General, acquisition costs have increased while cost savings have decreased by over $400 million — more than half of the FAA's original estimated savings. FTI has also been plagued with additional problems, including insufficient training of contractors, poor planning and management, and substandard service. Furthermore, with no services to fall back on when there are problems with FTI, there is even greater risk of outages occurring repeatedly at facilities throughout the country. "Outages of this type are preventable," said Spero. "It is the FAA's ultimate responsibility to ensure a safe and efficient National Airspace System. Unfortunately, it is failing miserably."


PASS represents more than 11,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense who install, maintain, support and certify air traffic control and national defense equipment, inspect and oversee the commercial and general aviation industries, develop flight procedures and perform quality analyses of the aviation systems. For more information, visit the PASS website at www.passnational.org.


Contact: Dave Spero (918) 810-0152



SOURCE Professional Airways Systems Specialists

[dave]

This failure by the FAA to manage programs is the thing that really incenses me when the User Fee thing comes up.  In other words, we should pay tolls because scores of incompetent people manage programs and allow lazy and greedy subcontractors to do substandard work.  But I'm not bitter.

Dave

[w0x0f]

This failure by the FAA to manage programs is the thing that really incenses me when the User Fee thing comes up.  In other words, we should pay tolls because scores of incompetent people manage programs and allow lazy and greedy subcontractors to do substandard work.  But I'm not bitter.

Dave

The same people that want user fees are the ones behind this FTI mess.  You must follow the money to get to the bottom of this.  Fortunately, someone has in this 2 part story.  This should get you fired up.

http://themainbang.typepad.com/blog/2007/06/follow_the_mone.html

http://themainbang.typepad.com/blog/2007/06/follow_the_mone_1.html

w0x0f

[zmeatc]

There is a whole list of bad programs the FAA has come up with. The new thing centers are starting to do is a thing called metering. Metering is a tool for high traffic airports. We are using metering for KMEM when fedex/nwa have their big inbound pushes. Metering works by a computer that will scan all traffic inbound and add in all factors (weather, wind, runway confg.....etc). What it gives us is a 4th line in the data block with a number in it. EX. +4 or -3 which means if you have a +4 it means you need to slow this aircraft up so it reaches the inbound fix on time. A -3 means you need to speed up the aircraft. So after spending a lot of money on this the problem we are running into is that one min the 4th line will say +3 then the next min say -10 then the next min will say +8. Metering works ok in great weather, but when weather is in the area and aircraft or turning to avoid it, the computer goes crazy and we just have too turn it off. The FAA is still saying that this tool works. HA! If they mean it works when we turn it off, then I guess their right!