1993-01 · NASA ASRS report 234067
CPR MLG PLT HAD TROUBLE FIGURING OUT HOW TO FLY THE PATTERN AT SPS BECAUSE OF RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON CIVIL ACFT THERE.
UPON ARRIVING IN THE WICHITA FALLS AREA; WE RECEIVED THE ATIS INFO WHICH INDICATED THAT THE WIND WAS FAVORING RWYS 15. NO REF WAS MADE ON THE ATIS TO A SPECIAL VFR PROC FOR RWY 17; NOR WAS THERE ANY INFO REGARDING MIL ACTIVITY ON RWYS 15 L AND R. WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 8000 FT AND AT APPROX 5-10 MI W OF THE SPS VOR; WE WERE CLRED TO 6000 FT. THE SHEPPARD APCH CTLR ADVISED THAT THE LNDG RWY WAS 17. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT WE HAD NOT CANCELLED IFR AT THE TIME; WE REQUESTED RWY 15R. SHEPPARD THEN ADVISED THEY WERE UNABLE TO APPROVE RWY 15R AND ASKED US IF WE WERE GOING TO MAKE THE XING RESTRICTION ALT OF 2300 FT AT THE SPS VOR. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANY RESTRICTION. WE CONFIRMED THIS CLRNC AND STARTED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT TO 2300 FT TO COMPLY WITH HIS REQUEST. DURING THIS DSCNT; SHEPPARD ASKED IF WE WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE RWY 17 PROC. WE STATED THAT WE WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PROC. SHEPPARD RESPONDED BY ASKING US TO TAKE UP A HDG OF 100 DEGS AFTER THE VOR. WE COMPLIED WITH HIS REQUEST AND COULD SEE THE ARPT VISUALLY; AND IT BECAME APPARENT TO US THAT IF WE DID NOT CANCEL IFR; WE WOULD OVERRUN THE ARPT AT 2300 FT. AS WE PREPARED TO TURN FINAL FOR 17; SHEPPARD FURTHER INSTRUCTED US NOT TO CROSS OVER ANY TXWYS; RAMP AREAS OR RWYS. HIS INSTRUCTIONS WERE SO LATE THAT IT REQUIRED A BANK ANGLE BELOW 500 FT THAT WAS STEEPER THAN NORMAL TO COMPLY. MAY I SUGGEST THAT THIS SPECIAL VFR PROC REQUIRING A CONTINUOUS TURNING FINAL APCH BE PUBLISHED SO THAT PLTS CAN BE PREPARED TO EXECUTE THIS MANEUVER IN A FAIRLY ROUTINE FASHION. A VFR PROCS CHART; SUCH AS THE ONE USED AT MOST ARPTS -- LOS ANGELES; WASHINGTON NATIONAL; ETC -- WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL. FURTHER; A NOTE ON THE VFR APCH CHART INDICATING HVY MIL ACTIVITY ON RWYS 15/33 WOULD ALSO ALERT PLTS TO THE INTENSITY OF THE TFC. WE HAD NO IDEA THAT CIVILIAN ACFT ARE GENERALLY RESTR TO USING RWYS 17/35 ONLY. I BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTN IN THE HOPES THAT OTHER PLTS VISITING WICHITA FALLS; TX; WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LCL CONDITIONS CAN BE PREPARED. FURTHER; UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE INFO IS PUBLISHED; I WOULD SUGGEST THAT A BRIEF MESSAGE BE PUT ON THE ATIS. IT WOULD ALSO HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL ON OUR PARTICULAR FLT; ONCE WE HAD ADVISED THE CTLR THAT WE WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE VFR PROC; IF HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN US A FULL; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROC RATHER THAN JUST GIVING US A HDG AND ALT TO FLY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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