SMA ON VOR APCH HAS PROB WITH TRACON TWR COORD.
Synopsis
SMA ON VOR APCH HAS PROB WITH TRACON TWR COORD.
Narrative
CONDUCTING INST APCHS; WORKING WITH SCK TRACON. GIVEN IFR CLRNC TO TCY AS FOLLOWS: 'CLRED TO THE TCY ARPT VIA DIRECT ECA; CLRED FOR THE TCY VOR-A APCH; MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED.' AFTER MANCO INTXN; DSNDED TO 1600 FT. 1 MI NE OF MOSSA INTXN (FAF) WAS TOLD BY SCK TRACON; 'SMA; 1 MI NE OF MOSSA; RADAR SVC TERMINATED; ADVISE CANCELLATION OF IFR THIS FREQ OR BY LANDLINE WITHIN 5 MINS OF LNDG; CLRED TO ADVISORY FREQ.' DURING A PREFLT WX BRIEFING WAS ADVISED BY OAK FSS OF A 'D' CLASS NOTAM ABOUT A TEMPORARY ATCT IN EFFECT DURING DAYLIGHT HRS UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF THE TRACY AIR SHOW THIS WKEND. I QUERIED SCK (123.85 MHZ) IF I SHOULD CONTACT TCY TWR; TO WHICH APCH REPLIED' UH...STANDBY...UH; REMAIN THIS FREQ....' AT 13.5 DME SCK APCH INSTRUCTED US TO '...CONTACT TRACY TWR ON...UH...121.2....' SINCE IT WAS VFR; WE DSNDED TO 992 FT (TPA). UPON CONTACT WITH TCY TWR I SAID 'TRACY TWR; SMA 14 DME SCK ON THE VOR-A APCH.' TO WHICH THE TWR RESPONDED; 'SMA; TRACY TWR; MAKE STRAIGHT IN RWY 29; CHK WHEELS DOWN; WIND CALM; ALTIMETER 29.95.' I THEN ADVISED THE CTLR THAT WE WERE ON THE VOR-A APCH; WHICH DOES NOT AUTHORIZE STRAIGHT-IN APCHS; BUT WE COULD CIRCLE E FOR RWY 29; TO WHICH THE CTLR RESPONDED; 'OK...WHATEVER...CHK WHEELS DOWN; CLRED FOR THE OPTION RWY 29.' TO WHICH I RESPONDED; 'WHEELS DOWN AND WELDED; OPTION 29.' NO CONFLICTS OF ANY KIND; BUT WHAT A BONANZA OF POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS -- FOR THE PLT OF COURSE. THERE ARE 2 MAJOR PROBS HERE. FIRST; SCK TRACON SEEMED UNAWARE THAT A TWR WAS IN OP AT TCY; AND THEIR DELAY IN FIGURING IT OUT WHILE TELLING ME TO REMAIN ON THEIR FREQ COMPRESSED THINGS TO THE POINT THAT A CONFLICT COULD HAVE OCCURRED IF TFC WAS IN THE ATA. SECONDLY; THE (APPARENTLY MIL) CTLRS SEEM UNAWARE OF INST APCH PROC CONDUCT/REQUIREMENTS WHILE INSTEAD BEING PREOCCUPIED WITH THE GEAR OF A FIXED GEAR ACFT. THIS 'PORTO-TWR' HAS BEEN IN OP FOR YRS ON THE FIRST WKEND OF EACH MONTH; AND UNTIL RECENTLY ONLY RECOGNIZED BY A CLASS 'L' NOTAM ON FILE WITH RIU FSS. NOW; ANY FSS; AND HENCE ANY PLT RECEIVING A STANDARD BRIEFING CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THE TWR; BUT IF CTLRS AT THE TRACON FEEDING THAT ARPT AND THE PERSONNEL OCCUPYING THE TWR ARE IN THE DARK THERE MIGHT AS BE NO NOTAM. I WOULD RECOMMEND BETTER COORD BTWN SCK TRACON AND TCY TWR AS WELL AS ASSURING THAT TCY TWR PERSONNEL ARE BRIEFED ON CIVILIAN IAP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH SCK ATM REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIRD PARTY CALLBACK SCK FACILITY ATM. ATM STATED THERE IS A LOA BTWN TCY ATCT AND SCK APCH CTL. TCY TWR IS TO NOTIFY SCK APCH CTL WHEN THE TWR IS IN OP. THIS WAS APPARENTLY DONE AND THE APCH CTLR JUST FORGOT THE TWR WAS IN OP. THE STAMMERING BY THE CTLR WAS PROBABLY A STALL SO THE CTLR COULD DO TRACON ATCT INTERFAC COORD.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.