Glitch shuts down Calcutta airport radar

Calcutta: An important surveillance equipment was out of order at the airport for 17 hours since Saturday evening.
The Mono Pulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MPSR), which helps in maintaining the required distance between overflying aircraft within 250 nautical miles (463 km) of Calcutta, started malfunctioning at 7pm on Saturday. It was repaired on Sunday noon.
According to airport authorities, “more than 1,000 aircraft” overfly Calcutta daily, most of them at night. While the radar was out of order, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) had to ask the flight officials in each overflying plane for its position and course to ensure proper separation. The position of an aircraft is automatically displayed on the radar.
The primary radar — Approach Surveillance Radar (ASR) — was functional through the night. “It has a range of 60 nautical miles or 111.12 km ,” said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Both the primary and secondary radar were not working from 10am to noon on Sunday because of repairs to the MPSR.
12/11/07 The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Nov 2007, Safety Nov 2007