Norfolk ATCT Transcript

Tape provided by FAA on Sep 25, 2003

Transcribed by Miles Kara Sep 25-26 2003 and updated Jan 9 2004

Quit 25 flight: Peninsula Radar, East Feeder Radar

1318-1338 GMT

8:23:40 Klaxon goes off in the background

8:24 Huntress: Langley Command Post, this is Huntress with an active air defense
scramble for Quit 25 and Quit 26,1 repeat an active air defense scramble for Quit
25, Quit 26, scramble immediately, time of 1324, authenticate Bravo Xray,
scramble on a heading of 010, flight level 290, contact Huntress on frequency 234 C? A '
decimal six and backup 364 decimal two. All parties acknowledge with
initials Langley Command Post, if you have any questions give me a call on
the land line [male voice]

0825:50 Langley: Norfolk 618, Request release for Quit 25

Norfolk: Norfolk Approach

0827 Langley Request release for Quit 25

Norfolk: Coming off of [runway] 8

0829:24 Langley: Be advised he is coming off as a 3-ship, we are amending it

0929:32 Norfolk: I'm sorry, he's departing as a 3-ship

Langley: He's starting to role now, it's a 3-ship

0930:24 Quit 25: Quit 25, runway heading, climbing thru 3

0930:35 Peninsula: Quit 25, Norfolk Approach, you are radar contact, contact
Norfolk Approach on 372.1
Quit 25: 372.1, Quit 25

0931:42 Quit 25: Quit 25 with you out of 7000 for 290 runway heading
Peninsula: Quit 25 maintain flight level 230

0932:07 Quit 25: Copy that 230, understand our clearance to be 090 for 60
miles off Langley
Peninsula: That's what we show
Quit 25: Copy that, so we're proceeding direct
 0932:19 Peninsula: Quit 25 contact Norfolk Approach on Channel 4,
Correction Channel 5, that's 372.1
Quit 25: Copy that, we just tried them with no luck so we came back
to you, we'll push over there, push Uniform 5

Break to East Feeder Position for period 1326-1346 UTC

0931:00 Quit 25: Departure, with you ?? on runway heading for 290

0931:11 EF: Roger, Maintain FL 230 for now what heading

would you like, sir
Quit 25?: (unintelligible)

0931:40 EF: Quit 25 if you can go east bound maintain FL 230

0931:55 EF: Quit 25, Norfolk Approach, how do you hear

0932:48 Quit 25: Quit 25 is with you at 12 thousand for 230

EF: I've got you loud and clear, how me
Quit 25: I've got you loud and clear now
EF: Roger, have your third man squawk 4600

0933:05 EF: Quit 25 are you going directly to the Langley 090 at
60
Quit 25: Affirmative, (ui) ? that's our second clearance, we
had an earlier clearance of a vector and an altitude

0933:18 EF: Giant Killer, 256 Quit 25,

GK: Giant Killer'son
EF: Flight of 3, third man squawking right now, they are
direct to the Langley 90 at 60 climbing to 230

0933:33 EF: Quit 25 contact Giant Killer on 238.1

Quit 25: Copy 238.1

' 0936:56 EF: Giant Killer 256. Giant Killer 256

GK: Standby
0938:50 EF: Giant Killer 256

0939:40 EF: Giant Killer 256

GK: Go ahead
EF: That Quit 25 should have gone to 234.6, did
you give that to him
GK: Affirmative he's going direct Baltimore now
EF: Alright, thank you
Norfolk Tower/TRACON

1 . Scramble Order
where did scramble order come in, who took it and how was it memorialized
who all was aware of the initial scramble order, did it come in on loud speaker
- did both tower and tracon receive it

2. Flight Plans
- what was local procedure in monitoring flight plans that morning— i.e. chain of
custody on Quit 25
- what phone calls, if any, were associated with a scramble flight plan
- How difficult is it to enter non-stereo flight plans
- what restrictions applied, if any, after runway heading altitude was reached
- How are flight plans changed and how easily

3. Peninsula Sector -^
- is Peninsula Sector always the handler of aircraft off of Langley to the East *
West?
- what did the Sector understand the mission and the heading to be
- why was Quit 25 asked what heading he would like
when flight plan showed 090 for 60 was the Sector aware that conflicted with
the scramble order
- at what altitude does East Feeder take over

4. East Feeder
- Is EF the normal Sector to interface with Giant Killer
- How was the Quit 25 handoff handled—was the heading discussed
- Was EF aware of the scramble order and the discrepancy
- Does EF also interface with Cape Charles, ZDC, or is that always done thru
Giant Killer
- How about Patuxent Advisory, what is the relationship?

5. Supervisory
- what was the policy and procedure in place for active air scrambles
- what are the decision and discretionary points re flight plan and flight plan
changes
- who heard the scramble order
- when did either tower or tracon supervisor become aware that Quit 25 was not
on the right heading
- discuss history of active air and practice scrambles, any takeoffs to the west
- where does the default heading of 090 for 60 come from, when was that
institutionalized and for what reason
- who can change a flight plan— controller or supervisor. How is that done
- has anyone ever inquired as to the launch and vectoring of Quit 25 flight
- was any after action review done concerning the launch of that flight