Large Transport
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 24.5
Situational Awareness; Troubleshooting
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Procedure; Human Factors; Airspace Structure; Staffing
The weather at was IFR. While doing duties at the Watch desk as the Front Line Manager (FLM); the Controller working advised me that they would be holding arrival aircraft; apparently for spacing. I went to the sector to observe the situation and to see if I could offer assistance to the Controller. I noticed that there were two aircraft being sequenced to the airport. Aircraft X was 10 miles south of the airport and there was aircraft Y; approximately 20 miles south of the airport. There was another aircraft approximately 25 miles south but that aircraft was being held by the adjacent sector at a higher altitude and was not yet being sequenced and was not being worked by the Controller.As I was sorting out what was happening; I heard the Controller clear Aircraft X for the ILS approach via a 350 Heading to intercept the ILS. At this time; Aircraft X was level at 3;000 feet. I suspected that this heading may have caused Aircraft X to fly through an area with a higher Minimum Vectoring Altitude (MVA)/MIA (3;500) and also caused Aircraft X to intercept the ILS course inside of the final approach fix. When the Controller was relieved from the position; I advised them of the possible situation and advised them that a radar replay was being requested. The radar replay did confirm the MVA/MIA violation and the ILS intercept.Aircraft X should have been vectored further southwest before being given the 350 Heading to intercept the ILS. The aircraft behind was not a factor; or spacing could have been provided if needed.
I see that I vectored an aircraft in (by a quarter of a mile) to a MVA (Minimum Vectoring Altitude) of 3;500 feet; and my aircraft was at 3;000 feet; and not yet established on the Localizer. The supervisor turned me in for this and yes; when we ZOOMED in; I could tell; that yes; I violated the MVA by 500 feet and a quarter of a mile. At the time of this incident; I honestly thought I was clear of the MVA. It was hard to tell I violated the MVA; even with the tapes; until we ZOOMED in on the picture. What I didn't understand is that; since the supervisor was behind me at the time of this incident; why did the supervisor not advise me at the time that he thought I would violate the MVA by a quarter of a mile ? Isn't that what supervisors are supposed to do? I would have gladly appreciated him telling me at the time about how he thought I might possibly have violated the MVA; and I would have kept Aircraft X on a longer vector to the south; or a vector to join the localizer (both of which would have kept me clear of the 3;500 feet MVA).Also; if the supervisor noticed how busy I was; why didn't he have someone open the other sector? The supervisor could see I was very busy. The other sector is required to be open by a specific time. I honestly don't think it was this day. And; if it was; it must have opened at exactly the prescribed time. I didn't get that far into the tapes. I don't think the timing should matter. I believe the amount of traffic should dictate when a sector should be open. At the time; there was enough traffic to justify the other sector opening a few minutes early.Also; a supervisor was training on the feeder sector. The feeder sector was not giving me adequate spacing. He had two aircraft coming from the west; and he left the second aircraft high and overtaking the first aircraft. By the time he handed off the second aircraft to me; he was out of options; and I finally told him to just send Aircraft Y to a fix and to expect holding. I honestly was too busy to work my aircraft and the trainee's aircraft; and I don't know why the trainer of the trainee on Feeder sector didn't handle this situation better. I feel I was unjustly punished for their lack of experience and training; and I was already too busy. In the future; I will make sure I vector all aircraft on a downwind farther to ensure I totally clear the 3;500 foot MVA. When I'm not too busy; I will display the MVA chart on my sector. Unfortunately; when I am busy; the MVA chart clutters my screen.I would like to see the supervisors on the floor advise a controller if they see a situation where they think an MVA will be violated. I don't think it's appropriate for a supervisor to watch an MVA violation and then turn it in later when they could have prevented the situation from the start. Or; perhaps this goes back to my previous complaint that I am being unjustly harassed by this male supervisor because I am a woman.Also; I would like to see the supervisors open sectors based on traffic versus a set time. The sector needed to be open sooner; based on traffic.Finally; supervisors in training should not be allowed to just pass on their horrible sequencing to other controllers. If a supervisor is going to train and check out on a sector; they need to actually know how to properly control traffic. We should not give special treatment to new supervisors just because we need another supervisor on the floor.
A Controller vectored an aircraft to an ILS Approach below the MVA (Minimum Vectoring Altitude) and ILS interception inside the Final Approach Fix.