PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 5
Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance
Airspace Structure; Procedure
I was relieving a controller off of Finals and getting ready to brief my trainee on the position she was about to get into. I put my presets up and I notice Aircraft X at 2800 feet inside of the 3000 foot Minimum Vectoring Altitude (MVA) abeam and north of the antennas. I told the trainee to wait a second and asked the relieved controller 'what's he doing again?' The answer was 'direct ELREN because he wanted the visual.' I called the Operations Manager (OM) over and asked had the rules changed for discontinuing vertical separation from an obstruction? He said 'no...I don't think so'. Aircraft X was at 2300 feet past the antennas. I asked if he had the airport in sight. He said yes; I have the airport in sight; however he was looking for runway 4. I cleared him for the Visual Approach runway 4 and switched him to the Tower. I asked my OM who listened to the audio if Aircraft X descended on his own. He was given a descend and maintain by the previous controller.Controllers should know the rules and not be lazy and giving in to what the pilot wants.
An aircraft [had] been vectored on left base to Runway 4 for Hobby airport. I descended the aircraft to 2000 feet in a 3000 feet MVA; the aircraft was clear of the obstruction on the north side more than 2 3/4 of a mile but the circle is 3 miles.I just need to bring my MVA maps on next time.
I90 Controllers reported that a PA28 aircraft was on a vector below the Minimum vectoring Altitude and less than three miles from the obstruction depicted on the radar display.