Power failure hampers air traffic controllers at San Diego facility

[laylow]

Power failure hampers air traffic controllers at San Diego facility
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-airtraffic21-2008may21,0,2560550.story

Radio and radar systems were down for three hours early this morning. Up to 24 planes were affected. Had it occurred at peak time, one controller said, the danger 'would have been incalculable.'
By Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:01 PM PDT, May 20, 2008
As many as two dozen flights in Southern California airspace were affected by a power failure that shut down radio communications and radar for three hours at an air traffic control center in San Diego.

Workers at a Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in Miramar immediately began using their cellphones to alert controllers at nearby air traffic communications facilities, including the Los Angeles International Airport tower and the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center in Palmdale.

The power failure occurred this morning shortly after midnight, causing immediate shutdowns of radio and radar equipment at Miramar center, said Melvin S. Davis, a facility representative for Terminal Radar Approach Control for Southern California, which serves airports in Los Angeles, Burbank, Ontario, Orange County, Palm Springs and San Diego.

"As an air traffic controller, I'm used to certain sights and sounds that, even in a crazy environment, give me comfort," Davis said. "When everything went dead, my heart stopped and my next thought was, 'This cannot be happening.' "

Had it occurred at peak time, he said, "the danger to the flying public would have been incalculable."

The radar and radios came back online about 3 a.m.

At least two dozen flights were in the air during the outage and an undetermined number were delayed on the ground because of it.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said a preliminary assessment was that the switches for the power used for radar and radio were "in the off position."

"We don't know why," he said.

Gregor said about a half-dozen cargo flights were delayed.

"You never want to have an outage, but if you're going to have one, that's the time to have it," he said.

[tyketto]

Did they forget about the wildfires they had there the past couple of years where they had to evacuate completely, and ZLA had to handle SoCal? Also about when ZLA had to evacuate Palmdale and ZOA and ZAB had to extend their airspace to cover ZLA?

This is nothing they haven't been through before, and 3 hours seems like a walk in the park compared to almost having the place burn down, and seeing FIM VOR a burning pile of rubble!

BL.

[KSYR-pjr]

Hmmm, this little tidbit from the article, if true, is quite illuminating:

"Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said a preliminary assessment was that the switches for the power used for radar and radio were "in the off position."

"We don't know why," he said.

Intentional?

[NWA ARJ]

Its a big bummer when the radar goes out at your facility. Most TRACONS around the country dont have non-radar procedures, or have not done it in twenty years. I know the couple times ours has went down it was a big scramble.....