EMER SMT TFC NOT GIVEN PRIORITY HANDLING BY TWR CTLR IN APCH LNDG PROC.

Date: 1992-12 · Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

EMER SMT TFC NOT GIVEN PRIORITY HANDLING BY TWR CTLR IN APCH LNDG PROC.

Narrative

ENRTE OKC-SDL PER RTE ABOVE APPROX 10 MIN W OF CLOVIS (GNDSPD 170 KTS IN A HIGH HEADWIND); #2 ENG OIL PRESSURE BEGAN FLUCTUATING. AFTER 2 MINS; OBSERVATION SHOWED A LOWERING PRESSURE TREND. BEGAN A PRECAUTIONARY DIVERSION TO ROW ARPT; IMMEDIATELY NOTIFYING ZAB OF OUR INTENTIONS. AS PRESSURE CONTINUED TO DROP; EXECUTED A PRECAUTIONARY SHUTDOWN OF #2 ENG; AGAIN NOTIFYING ZAB AND STATING OUR INTENTION OF PROCEEDING TO ROW. ZAB WAS HELPFUL AND PROFESSIONAL; NOTIFYING ROW APCH OF OUR PROBLEM PRIOR TO HANDING US OFF. ROW APCH ADVISED US OF AIRLINE WDB TFC TRAINING IN THE VICINITY OF ROW AND TOLD US TO CALL THE TWR AT 10 DME. AFTER CONTACT THE TWR'S MAJOR INTEREST SEEMED TO BE KEEPING US SEPARATED FROM THE HVY WDB WHO WAS DOING SOME SORT OF CIRCLING APCH TO THE LONGEST 13000 FT RWY (WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED 10000 FT LONG RWY 17). I ASKED THE CTLR ABOUT RWY CONDITIONS; WAS TOLD CONDITION OF 17 (PLOWED; SOME ICE PATCHES) WAS NOT GIVEN DETAILS OF LONGER RWY CONDITION. CTLR CONTINUED TO POINT OUT WDB TFC. IN ORDER TO GET RID OF DISTR; I DECLARED AN EMER AND ASKED THE CTLR TO MOVE HIS TFC TO END THE DISTR. (THIS TOOK 2 TRANSMISSIONS TO GET AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT) THE CTLR REPLIED THAT THE TFC WOULD NOT BE A FACTOR. THROUGHOUT LNDG AND ROLLOUT AND ATTEMPTS TO CLR THE RWY BY MEANS OF SINGLE ENG TAXIING AMIDST PATCHES OF ICE AND SNOW THE CTLR WAS UNHELPFUL. A PROFESSIONAL CTLR WOULD HAVE CLRED OUT HIS TFC ADVISED US OF THE LENGTHS AND CONDITIONS OF BOTH RWYS AND THEIR EXIT TAXIWAYS AND; FURTHERMORE; CLRED US 'TO LAND ON ANY RWY.' ROW TWR SEEMED MORE CONCERNED WITH NOT INCONVENIENCING THE ACR'S TRAINING ROUTINE THAN WITH OUR DISTRESS; THAN OUR EMER SITUATION. WE WERE 1 PLT; 2 PAX; ABOUT 60 PERCENT FUEL LOAD; THUS ABLE TO MANEUVER OR EXECUTE A SINGLE-ENG GAR AS NEEDED; BUT THIS IS FOR THE PLT; NOT THE TWR CTLR TO DECIDE. THIS TWR OPERATOR NEEDS RETRAINING IN PRIORITIES.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.