Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not sure what this air traffic controller at Atlanta's Hartsfield was thinking.. or drinking.. but I thought he would have known better than to jokingly tell the pilots on an in-bound Delta flight on final that they could not land. I just read this, and I thought it was STUPID!! I can't believe he did this as a "Joke"? I certainly didn't see the humor in it, and I'm sure neither did the captain and the first officer on that flight, when they were told at 1,000 feet above ground that they could not land, which of course initiated a Go-Around procedure that could have been dangerous, then subsequently telling them that he was only "Joking"... and to go ahead and land on the designated runway (27-Left) .. at which point they had already started go around procedures.
Yeah, definitely not a smart move. The pilot made the right decision. Whenever key words pop up, they are to be taken seriously and unfortunately for the controller, they were.
It wasn't a particularly dangerous 'joke,' but a stupid one. Sometimes controllers are loose with the phraseology over the radio, but there are things you don't say, as they will be taken as command.
At 1000' there isn't time to wait around and see if the controller is joking. Pilots are required to observe the "sterile cockpit" rules, where all conversations are 100% business. That should extend to ATC who communicate with them as well.
The genesis of the joke is that Delta told the controller they didn't have an assigned gate yet, and that he'd have to figure out somewhere for them to park. In that light, the "joke" makes some sense, although I agree it was poor judgment. I don't agree that any particular go-around is potentially more dangerous than any other phase of flight, especially in benign conditions. I imagine there'll be some disciplinary action...
The genesis of the joke is that Delta told the controller they didn't have an assigned gate yet, and that he'd have to figure out somewhere for them to park. In that light, the "joke" makes some sense, although I agree it was poor judgment. I don't agree that any particular go-around is potentially more dangerous than any other phase of flight, especially in benign conditions. I imagine there'll be some disciplinary action...
Maybe "dangerous" was an exaggeration on my part; I'm not too familiar with Atlanta's Hartsfield, but since there were other air traffic controllers who were also working, they could have possibly directed other aircraft to taxi across 27-L after hearing the "Go-around" message. I'm not sure how many seconds it took before the ATC indicated that he was only joking and gave them clearance to land, in those moments of confusion, had Delta 630 gone-around, who knows what could have happened. I'm sure the Delta flight crew would have been very observant and seen a dangerous situation, then aborted the landing on a clear day, but if there was limited visibility, that's where the factor of danger comes in.
Sometimes the egos of controllers at places like ATL gets out of hand, and they try a little too hard to sound clever over the frequency. There are boundaries to such cuteness, and this guy crossed one.
Any time there's a go-around, especially at a very busy terminal like ATL, it jacks up the flow and requires the aircraft to re-sequence into the arrival pattern. I'm guessing that radar wasn't too happy with the "joke", either.
Suggestion: Maybe the controller can be charged the amount of revenue Delta lost on the trip around the pattern. Fuel, missed connections, crew costs.
Flightaware say'ed the flight got to gate 20 minutes later then the schedule arrival time. But still earlier then it normal (late) arrival time by 6 mins.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I certainly didn't see the humor in it, and I'm sure neither did the captain and the first officer on that flight, when they were told at 1,000 feet above ground that they could not land, which of course initiated a Go-Around procedure that could have been dangerous, then subsequently telling them that he was only "Joking"... and to go ahead and land on the designated runway (27-Left) .. at which point they had already started go around procedures. 
I'm sure the Delta flight crew would have been very observant and seen a dangerous situation, then aborted the landing on a clear day, but if there was limited visibility, that's where the factor of danger comes in. 
