No Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 16.0
Training / Qualification; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance
Staffing; Weather; Manuals; Airspace Structure; Human Factors
The weather that morning was IFR and RVR's were relevant. After losing the minimums for Runway XYL the operation then swung to Runway XXL. The forecast was from continued improvement in the weather but that obviously did not occur. My objective that morning was to accomplish as many ELMS (computer based supplemental training) as possible. We have several ELMS due by the end of this month. I made a decision to consolidate the operation to 2 radar scopes. We had just put 8 arrivals down in the first 15 minutes and in my judgment other than the last of the morning departure push we were in a significant lull. My intention at this point was to give people a break before assigning additional people ELMS. I had 2 Controllers returning shortly from their ELMS to reopen those positions and 1 other due back shortly from break. Two sectors were very busy but very much in control. I looked again at the timeline to ensure the string from ZZZZZ Intersection was drying up. At approximately XA40Z an aircraft went around. I immediately paged a controller to the TRACON as I knew I was losing RVR to continue to land Runway XYL. He opened a sector but at this point the departure controller was way behind with the volume and complexity of his traffic. There was no runway to land due to closures which immediately doubled the volume and complexity for the controllers. Another controller also returned to the TRACON and I asked him to relieve a sector. It took him 5 minutes until he was able to take the position. I then had another controller open another sector. The controller was unable to give her the position due to their volume. I made numerous mistakes and lacked sound judgment during this event. First and foremost I compromised my people for trying to accomplish an administrative task. I also had no safety net in place in the event that I lost the runway. Had I kept another sector open I believe much of what transpired would have still occurred but I was wrong to take away another set of eyes from the operation. I also should have had a returning controller open another sector instead of relieving an already open sector. I also did not consider the lack of open runways and that should have been one of the firs things to consider.
An ATC Supervisor did not open enough sectors in the facility to manage the traffic workload.