AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYS OBSTRUCTION LIGHT INOP.

Narrative

APPROX NOV/XX/93 ASOS WAS INSTALLED AT DEC ARPT. WHILE WORKING AT DEC ATC TWR ON DEC/SAT/93; I NOTICED THAT THE ASOS OBSTRUCTION LIGHT WAS INOP. THE LOCATION WHERE THE ASOS IS LOCATED IS A LNDG AREA UTILIZED BY THE ILLINOIS ARMY NATIONAL GUARD HELIS. DUE TO THE GUARD'S PERIOD OF SCHEDULED NON ACTIVITY; THE SPRINGFIELD; IL; OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL WX SVC (NWS) WASN'T NOTIFIED UNTIL DEC/MON/93. AT THAT TIME THE NWS ASOS REPAIR PERSON WAS BANNED FROM THE ARPT DUE TO A RWY INCURSION. ON DEC/WED/93 THE NWS WAS ONCE AGAIN ALLOWED TO OPERATE AT THE ARPT. EARLY THIS WK THE NWS ARRIVED FINALLY TO CHK ON THE PROB AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A PWR FEED PROB TO THE ASOS SITE. THE NWS DEPARTED THE ARPT AND SAID THEY WOULD RETURN TO FIX THE PROB. AS OF JAN/FRI/94 THE PROB HASN'T BEEN RECTIFIED AND A HAZARD TO ACFT OPS STILL EXISTS AT THE ARPT. THE ARPT HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROB FOR 14 DAYS AND THE NWS FOR 12 DAYS AND YET NO ONE HAS MADE ANY EFFORT TO MARK AND IDENT THE FLT HAZARD TO ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: DEC AIR TFC MGR STATED THE ASOS IS IN A TEST MODE AND THE OBSTRUCTION LIGHT WAS REPAIRED AS SOON AS PARTS WERE RECEIVED BY NWS.