Dash 8 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Other / Unknown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Human Factors; Procedure
Airport wind [was] approximately 330 at 25 KTS gusting 35 KTS; landing Runway 29 stadium visual approach; departing Runway 22R at W Intersection; night time operation. Just prior to the incident; an aircraft was disabled on Runway 22R in the vicinity of Taxiway W; and Runway 22R was closed. I was taxiing aircraft to Runway 22L at W for departure and issuing a new departure runway which added to my workload. Air Carrier X; slowed to approximately 70 KTS ground speed. Air Carrier Y; was maintaining visual separation; with an approximate ground speed of 150 KTS. Upon landing and taxiing at a safe speed; I asked Air Carrier X if he was able to turn off at the next high speed and he responded in the affirmative. I observed Air Carrier X off of Runway 29; and Air Carrier Y short final when the ASDE-X issued an alert for Air Carrie Y to go-around. I said out loud that Air Carrier X was off the runway and that I was not going to send the aircraft around. I believe that I made the safest decision because Air Carrier X was off the runway; and Air Carrier Y was in a critical stage of flight. The safety logic system should not supercede Controller judgment. There are many aspects of the ASDE-X that have proven to be faulty; and this is another.
EWR Controller elected not to issue mandated ASDE-X go-around instructions after positively observing the landing traffic had cleared the runway. The reporter claimed faulty ASDE-X logic as a contributing factor.