B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 4
Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Staffing; Procedure; Human Factors
Aircraft X was a medical emergency who diverted to ZZZ and was handed off to the east arrival controller (position Z). The controller ran Aircraft X into RWY XXL while simultaneously conducting approaches to XXC. These runways are 1200ft apart and are considered the same runway. The Aircraft X and the Aircraft Y ended up side by side with the Aircraft X eventually passing Aircraft Y slightly before landing. Even if visual separation had been legal in this situation; it didn't take place in time to prevent the operational error. I believe that the controller thought the monitor was going to break the Aircraft Y out. Mistakes were made by the controller and most ZZZ TRACON CPC's (Certified Professional Controllers) would not have let it play out that way. However; it is also true that any other ZZZ TRACON Supervisor would've taken action and communicated and instructed in order to restore safety. That is what this [report] is about. At the time of the incident; [name removed] was the supervisor in charge of the arrival line. (position Y) [Supervisor] is an STMC (Supervisory Traffic Management Controller) who has been forced to do FLM (Frontline Marshaller) duties at ZZZ TRACON in order to compensate for our staffing crisis. [Supervisor] has zero terminal radar experience with arrivals and he has never trained on the arrival [side] at ZZZ TRACON; much less certified on any of those positions. Typically controllers spend an average of 1 year training on the arrival [side] at ZZZ TRACON and then after 6 months they begin training on the arrival coordinator position which takes several months. And then they begin training on the CIC position which requires a minimum of XY hours. [Supervisor] received none of received this training. He skipped the arrival positions; skipped the [arrival coordinator position]; and trained for two days (about 8 hours) on the [CIC] before they threw him to the wolves. He has no idea what he's doing up there and in the short time he's been working that position; there have been multiple disastrous events (see other reports).The bottom line here is that no action was taken by the supervisor in this safety event because [Supervisor] had no idea what to do or what to say or who to say it to. The ZZZ TRACON controllers were once again left with no real 'Supervision'; no leadership; no direction; no guidance; and no one to take the necessary authoritative action when things went wrong. There was no support system to fall back on. [Supervisor] literally did nothing to help coordinate/recover/take charge prior to or during this unsafe situation. He didn't even know it was happening until I came and told him. (I was the CIC at the time.) Shortly thereafter the TMC (Traffic Management Coordinator) told him he needed to do something and he still didn't. This could've ended up much worse! Please look in to [Supervisor's] training. It's not fair to him or the controllers or the thousands of people relying on our staff to be highly trained and knowledgeable.I recommend ZZZ TRACON Upper Management to follow the national training order and stop illegally throwing people on positions they're not trained and/or certified on in order to cover up staffing issues. (This has also happened with OM's [Operational Managers] taking the TMC and Flight Data positions at ZZZ TRACON because we don't have coverage.)
East flow; [runways] X Left; XY Center XY Right ILS PRM's [Precision Runway Monitor's] in use. Med Emergency Aircraft X; CPR in progress on a passenger. Requests XY Left. Aircraft X comes from the southwest high and fast from the center. This aircraft doesn't descend well to begin with but he and I do the best we can. I recognize on the offset final he cannot see the field because of the top's/bases or the traffic and I yell out to the FLM (Frontline Marshaller) and monitor to pull off Aircraft Y from XY Center. Aircraft Y had to come off; that was the key to this whole issue. Unfortunately; the new FLM I believe was not sure what to do; so he did nothing. The monitor got Aircraft Y to see the airport which did nothing for us in this situation. Aircraft X got XY Left in site and I became aware very quickly that the monitor was not going to pull Aircraft Y off the final; and the FLM was not going to order the monitor to pull him off. So I cleared Aircraft X for the visual to XY Left; because I certainly wasn't going to pull him out; and instructed him to not go across that final because there was traffic directly across from him. Thankfully he got the traffic in site; and I reiterated the traffic call to ensure it was not the guy down on XY Right in site; but in fact the guy directly off his right in site on XY Center. They both landed without incident. The FLM must to take control of the situation. He/she must walk over to that monitor and tell them 'I want to pull that guy off.' Tell him to stay on the localizer; climb him until he's clear of all conflicts; and then turn him out of there; and do it now. Then this event never happens.
Tracon Controllers reported a Frontline Manager not taking control of a situation; due to staffing and the Frontline Managers lack of training.