Widebody Transport
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Human Factors
I was just sitting down to take the Departure East position from a coworker. During the relief briefing the Controller I was relieving issued an IFR release off a satellite airport in close proximity to IND. This is a standard procedure for us. The departure instructions for Eagle Creek (EYE) Runway 3 are: climb heading 028 to 2;100 before turning right. The previous Controller gave the pilot the departure procedure and a turn to a 270 heading. Normally; the pilot makes a left turn. We are only authorized turns between 270-360 off of that airport. A 360-090 turn puts pilots directly in the way of arrivals for Runway 23 at IND and departures for Runway 5. We were 5's that day. I sat down and started working my traffic. Our ASR and Mode S were out of service which was making everything just a little bit squirrely because the RADAR service is not as reliable since the RADAR we have to use is the Long Range. I got an automated strip roll call for Aircraft X (Heavy) off of Runway 5L. At the same time I saw Aircraft Y (Light Transport Jet) depart EYE. The Aircraft X checked on; I radar identified him; turned him right to a fix to comply with his SID and told him to climb and maintain 6;000. I was also entering in scratchpad data and initiating hand offs with his track as I was talking to him. I then scanned and observed Aircraft Y turning right and tracking south off of EYE about 3.5NM NNE of Aircraft X. He checked on; was still southbound and instead of identifying him I ask him to verify he was westbound and called traffic on the heavy. He said yes he was turning Westbound. I went back and called traffic for Aircraft X and stopped him at 3000. I believe they both had an RA because Aircraft X descended to 2;800 and Aircraft Y climbed to 3;400. Again I called traffic for Aircraft Y because I was most concerned about the Aircraft X's wake turbulence. He said he saw the Aircraft X and I told him to maintain visual separation and caution wake turbulence and went on with everything else. I did not use my tools to figure out if there was a loss of lateral separation; however I do believe that there was. I was instructed by my Supervisor to have Aircraft Y call the TRACON when he landed for a possible pilot deviation. Recommendation; The departure procedure at EYE; being what it is because the EYE airport won't change the traffic pattern to left traffic; means that departures should always turn right. However; we issue control instructions to basically make left turns. Per our SOP we cannot turn airplanes right of 360 or left of 270. Historically; pilots rarely turn right and just fly the assigned heading we give them in their IFR release. It is beyond obvious that this departure procedure is set up to fail. If we were to truly resolve this problem there are a few things we could do; and no one seems to want to do it. They are: 1. Require EYE to be strictly left closed traffic when they are using Runway 3 (easiest; but also has potential to be dangerous switching from right closed on 21 to left closed on 3). 2. Stop all IND departures and arrivals (not efficient and adds too much of a workload) 3. Close EYE.
I coordinated with the Arrival Data controller to release Aircraft Y off of Eagle Creek Air Park (EYE); a satellite airport in close proximity to Indianapolis International (IND). The aircraft was departing Runway 3; so he was required to depart via a published departure procedure (DP). He was given the DP from Arrival Data; but either misunderstood or did not comply with it. The aircraft was given a 270 heading off of the airport; the DP mandates that the pilot climbs to 2;100 FT before making any right turns. I was just relieved by another controller and doing my post-brief when the aircraft departed EYE. The pilot departed and made a right turn to 270 degrees putting him in close proximity to Aircraft X; a H/B744 departing Runway 5L at IND on runway heading. Separation was never lost. The pilot likely misunderstood the DP and thought it meant he was required to make a right turn leaving 2;100 FT. Recommendation; I recommend that the departure procedure for EYE Runway 3 be changed or reworded to be less ambiguous.
IND Controller described a conflict event when an IFR departure from EYE failed to comply with the published departure procedure resulting in a potential conflict with a IND departure.