B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Human Factors
I was working Local East during the night noise configuration. In this configuration jet aircraft depart and land Runway 23 unless they require one of the parallel runways for operational necessity. I was working Runway 23 departures and arrivals. A CRJ had just landed and I instructed a Citation to line up and wait for departure after the CRJ vacated the runway. There was another Regional Jet on final approach for Runway 23 as well as a B767 on final approach for Runway 18C. The flight paths of these two runways intersect. After clearing the Citation for take off; I instructed the E170 to line up and wait and be ready for immediate departure as there was a Regional Jet now on a 3 mile final for Runway 23 and the B767 for Runway 18C. As soon as I had my standard runway separation between the two successive departures I cleared the E170 for departure. At this point the Regional Jet on Runway 23 was on a 2.5 mile final as the B767 was on a 2.5 mile final. The E170 took 23 seconds to commence his take off roll. When he commenced his take off roll; the B767 was inside a 2 mile final. All the Controllers recognized the situation and were aware that standard separation would not be able to be accomplished; however in our professional opinion at this late stage of flight it would have been extremely unsafe to send around the B767 in order to keep separation. The speed of the E170 on take off roll was such that he would be in front of the B767 touching down on Runway 18C. I alerted the other controller not to send the B767 around because in my judgment as explained before this would create an extremely unsafe situation. I would recommend that we do away with this configuration. The complexity of this operation is that we are over saturated with airplanes during this time and we are only allowed to use Runway 23 for the most part. It is very complex to land and depart on Runway 23 while also trying to 'shoot a gap' with Runway 18C arrivals. Either we reduce the number of airplanes allowed in the airspace or the airplanes that need any other runway than 23 or 18R do not come in to land after we cease the night operation. The other possible solution is to make it standard not to depart Runway 23 when an aircraft on 18C is inside 3 miles.
An A320 flight crew received a reroute clearance prior to takeoff and programmed the FMGC accordingly. Inexplicably; after takeoff when ATC inquired as to their deviation from that route they found the programmed 'airways' route between LAS and SNY had vanished and was now showing a 'direct' route. Strangely enough; another air carrier A320 flight crew flying the same route shortly behind them reported what appeared to be an identical anomaly.