B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
The DFW area had been impacted by a line of thunderstorms all evening. Throughout the evening; TMU was responsible for initiating SWAP's and reroutes for the thunderstorms. There were over 70 diversions due to the airport closing; volume and other weather issues. Airline companies would call the Traffic Management Unit and ask us to remove the flight plan on several flight plans so that they could re-file. The TMC working the NC1 position got a request to remove a flight plan and he asked me to remove it since my position is in front of the KVDT computer. The wrong flight plan was removed and the track disappeared from the MDM working Air Carrier X. The more times you have to communicate an instruction; the more chances there are of miscommunication; especially when complexity and volume are involved. If the airline's Dispatch could remove the flight plan themselves; then that would cut out that chance of miscommunication.
We were much busier than normal with thunderstorms moving across our airspace. While working NC1 I answered the outside line because the shift Supervisor was on another line. It was Dispatch who asked me to remove an aircraft flight plan. I then asked the TMC who was working EC1 to remove the flight plan on the KVDT. The wrong aircraft was removed. Air Carrier X who was climbing westbound ended up being removed. The Dispatcher (Company) should be able to remove the flight plan. Too many things can go wrong when they call us and we have to coordinate with the appropriate Tower; especially when we are that busy.
ZFW Controller described an unsafe condition situation during multiple diversions and flight plan cancellations due to severe weather impacts resulting in the inadvertent removal of active flight plan information and lost Data Blocks.