Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 6
Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
While working local control I observed a phantom target approximately 1NM west of Palo Alto airport moving west bound at 005 indicated. The target had a discreet code; but was not tagged up. I then observed Aircraft X in the San Francisco Class B airspace on an opposite heading approximately 15NM apart. This type phantom target is a repeating problem that is regularly observed. I was able to use the track printout feature on the phantom target to try and document the occurrence for further evaluation. There appears to be some issue with the automation that causes phantom targets of low level aircraft in the San Francisco Class B airspace to appear as a phantom around Palo Alto. Further scrutiny of the software is needed to identify and resolve the issue. Permission granted to share this report and any automation data associated with this report.
Palo Alto Tower Controller reported phantom target issue.