Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Communication Breakdown; Workload; Situational Awareness; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
This was the most unsafe thing I've ever seen! I was working with moderate traffic that I had fully under control. In the other sectors in the area; there were issues with DCA and BWI arrival aircraft due to weather. These sectors; working multiple aircraft going to these destinations over two different departure fixes from N90 and another sector working these arrivals from ZBW were shut off by the receiving sectors. This is where the chaos of what just happened started. Our area supervisor came over saying to use an alternate route and that it was worked out and approved. All of these many aircraft were turned towards this new route; but not everyone was on board with this! The sector that was to take this traffic said that they were not going to take any aircraft on this new route. At this point; planes started going everywhere. Safety was completely compromised and I was just separating aircraft the best I could and completely relying on the Controller who was working my RA side to make the point outs and do the coordination that was necessary. I was told afterwards that the ground stop that was put in place was completely ignored. When weather is affecting the route; better communication between the Terminal and the Center needs to happen. Way too many times; a controller will close a route due to weather; but the Terminal will keep departing aircraft filed on that closed route.
ZNY Controller described an unsafe condition during a busy/complex weather traffic period; the reporter claiming traffic management programs were simply ignored by the terminal facilities involved.