Air traffic controller 'joke' delays plane's landing

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/06/16/atlanta-airport-joke-diverts-landing/10571243/

 

 

One thing that's weird about this article is how they say that the airplane was a Boeing 777, their videos show MD-80s, but the real airplane used in this route is actually an A330. 

[Don t moderate me this way 882]

"My parents didn't allow me to become a comedian, so I've been doing Air Traffic Control instead."

 

Unbelievable ...

 

[Jim Young 2,356]

It was a Delta 777 - http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/16/faa-atlanta-air-traffic-controller-joke-plane-delay/10573435/. What an idiot! The control tower is the wrong place to practice your jokes. Hopefully the FAA will do the right thing and have this guy removed.

 

Best regards,

[vr-pilot 11]

Probably there was going on some "common joking"  on that tower frequency prior to this event. If time/traffic allows ATC controllers and A/C crews might make some jokes but here one crew didn't really get it...

Who knows? We will see!

 

Greetings,

Claus

[Lucasvh 8]

Well ... what did the atc expect, no one told the Delta crew that it was joke day at the tower

[untoweechja 35]

I doubt there's a pilot anywhere who is going to twiddle his or her thumbs and wait to find out if a 'go around' directive is just a joke.

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

If you have ever been in a go-around situation, you know there is nothing to joke about. I have had two in a lot of years of flying... Into KBOS in a TWA 747 on final, gear and flaps down, for a runway incursion. The second into YSSY on a ANA 747 flight from Tokyo, when on final, gear down, barn doors down, and they closed the runway due to fog. Neither were fun. Had I been the pilot of that Delta flight on the receiving end of that "joke", I would have probably made a bee line to the tower and invited the controller to come out and discuss his "joke".

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

It was a Delta 777

Ah, well I still thought it would be strange for them to use a 777 on such a short route.

[vr-pilot 11]

If you have ever been in a go-around situation, you know there is nothing to joke about.

 

Sure. Actually "no questions asked".

I took a closer look:

http://www.flightradar24.com/2014-06-11/20:33/12x/33.84,-84.41/10

DAL630 comes from the upper right (NE)...

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/katl/KATL-Twr-9R-27L-Jun-11-2014-2030Z.mp3

The conversation begins at EDIT 15:29...

At 15:44 DAL630 is cleared to land by tower. DAL 630 at 15:49 confirms the landing clearance and requests an intermediate parking position because of not having a gate yet. At 15:55 Tower responds "Go around" (releases the talk button shortly) and continous immediately with "I am kidding" and the friendly explanation that no one is following behind and that after landing they may exit to the right and ask for the gate. UNFORTUNATELY in the beginning of that (long) explanation DAL630's "Go around" read back is blocked out. Tower requests clearance/intermediate parking confiramtion, DAL630 transmits "say again please", tower repeats "your are cleared to land RWY 27L", DAL630 transmits "you sent us around. DAL630 is on the go..." 

So the "joke" was: "in case of not having a gate go around"... :unsure:

Bad luck for the controller. I hope they have mercy with him.

 

Greetings,

Claus

Edited June 16, 2014 by vr-pilot

[188AHC 2,138]

Aircraft operations is no place to joke around. This is a very serious environment.

Like Tom, I've been involved in two "go arounds", both having to do with interfering traffic. Normally when you hear "go around" from the tower, all else is lost as you concentrate on looking for traffic and reconfiguring the aircraft from landing to climbing. 

So, I suspect this controller will probably be dealt with in a very stern manner, and by all rights should be.  If he doesn't lose his job outright, I'm sure he will be stepped down for "additional training".

[g_precentralis 191]

I see it as a honest mistake. That wasn't a prepared joke, simply controller's mouth was faster than his brain. I believe he regrets the very same moment the "go around" slipped through his mouth. No hurt was done, so I hope this will end up as a lesson for this guy with no additional penalty.

 

You never say key words on air unless you really mean it.

[Nathan3219 113]

A joke command to an aircraft full of people on final approach? No excuse for that. He should have a choice:

 

1. 20% of his pay garnished until the calculated cost of the go-around is paid for.

 

2. Look for a new job.

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

 

 

I see it as a honest mistake.

 

An "honest mistake"? It was an infantile move by an immature ATC with hundreds of souls in his hands. A short final "go around" is a dangerous maneuver, particularly in high volume airspace. It was a wide body, with challenges of inertia and speed of throttle response. A more staggeringly stupid act by a controller could not be imagined, in my opinion.

[William J.S.S 173]

And just like that, a career is over. I honestly hope this wasn't this guys dream job, because He just ended it. Sorry, joke, no joke, conversation beforehand, He played it wrong. There is a difference between good fun and banter back and forth when time allows, and just plain stupidity.

[hopskip 253]

A go around isn't dangerous, but it is potentially expensive (Fuel, delays, knock on delays, gate occupation efficiency reduction, lack of ground crew to service aircraft, causing ground crew to be delayed to the next aircraft, etc) One go around can cause multiple aircraft to be delayed for the rest of the day.

lots and lots of $$$ and angry customers.

 

One thing that IS dangerious is trying to "un-do" a go around. Once those engines have spooled up to takeoff thrust, you're not getting back on glidepath again.

 

Most pilots would hear the missed approach command and pretty quickly hit that TO/GA button. From that moment you are committed to aborting the landing. Anything else can lead to overruns, high descent rates, hard landings, and broken aircraft/bones.