PHILADELPHIA--Update on Radar System Problems--Director Fired

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Aviation director fired following radar system problems WIRE: 03/13/2000 21:03:00 ET

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ The director of aviation for the Philadelphia International Airport was fired Monday as federal officials looked into the airport's radar tracking system, which malfunctioned last week. Mayor John F. Street's decision to dismiss Alfred Testa Jr. came 10 months after his appointment by then-Mayor Edward G. Rendell. It was effective immediately.

The dismissal not related to Friday's radar problems, which the Federal Aviation Administration oversees, city spokeswoman Barbara Grant said.

"Although the decision came down today, it was not made today. The mayor made the decision some time ago," Grant said.

Testa's attorney, Geoff Johnson, declined to comment.

Testa's dismissal came after an announcement that the FAA would send a five-member team to Philadelphia Tuesday to investigate the radar system's problems.

The control tower's automatic radar system shut down temporarily Friday after three circuit cards malfunctioned in one of the system's eight processors of the computer's mainframe.

Copyright )2000 ABC News Internet Ventures.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20000313_1891.html

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), March 13, 2000

Answers

FAA Blames Faulty Circuit Cards For Radar Failure

By KYW's Kim Glovas

The Federal Aviation Administration says that problem with the radar system at Philadelphia International Airport has been traced to bad circuit cards. FAA officials say the cards in the automated radar tracking system were replaced and the system is working fine.

But the latest radar failure, which lasted several minutes last Friday night, has Senator Arlen Specter demanding action on what he calls "a life or death matter."

Specter says FAA officials assured him Monday a five-member team will arrive Tuesday at the airport to review the radar problem and identify a solution.

"It's just a matter of time before something disastrous happens," Specter says. "I went out there last year and was in the booth and saw the way they were tracking these planes, and when the machines go down, and they start to do it by hand it's very, very scary."

Specter says digital radar systems are expected to be developed in three years. But he says something must be done at Philadelphia International Airport now.
http://www2.kyw1060.com/news_story_detail.cfm?newsitemid=5640

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 13, 2000.


3/13/00 4:41:19 PM An update from Inquirer staff and wire reports. Compiled by Terry Bitman.

FAA team to look at airport tracking problems The Federal Aviation Administration will send a team of investigators to Philadelphia International Airport tomorrow to try to find out why a radar tracking system malfunctioned Friday night while 30 planes were being tracked.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R. Pa.) said he spoke with FAA officials this morning and demanded immmediate attention to the situation. Specter said the FAA told him it would take a week to assemble an investigating team and that when he told the officials that was not acceptable they finally agreed to have a team would be in place tomorrow.

Also today, Mayor Street announced the appointment of Charles Isdell as the city's acting director of aviation. He replaces Fred Testa. A statement released by Street's office said that Isdell, the current first deputy diector of aviation and the airport's chief operationg officer, will hold the acting post while the city conducts a national search for a permanent director.

The statement did not mention Testa by name. A Street spokesperson gave no details about why the change was being made at this time.

The problems on Friday night caused brief moments of panic in the control tower but no immediate danger in the sky, union and FAA officials have said.

The computer problems wiped the identifying labels of planes off radar screens so air traffic controllers were unable to match the blips on their screens with such vital information as flight number, carrier, altitude, air speed and type of aircraft.

The disruptions affected about 30 planes being tracked on eight radar scopes, and each lasted about three minutes between 8:03 and 8:21 p.m. At no time were aircraft or passengers in immediate danger of collision, officials said.

Specter, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, previously requested FAA reports documenting what happened in other incidents earlier this year.

He also had asked the FAA to rank Philadelphia higher on the list of cities set to receive an automated program to replace the computer systems and workstations now in use. At last count, Philadelphia was 41st on the list.

http://inquirer.philly.com/briefs/#881

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 13, 2000.


I wrote a GAO report in 1989 on this problem (the occasional blank screens occurred then as well). In Philly, they are apparently using the same basic systems with only minor improvements.

-- Bud Hamilton (budham@hotmail.com), March 16, 2000.

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