RPTR CLAIMS FACILITY USED TO PROVIDE SEPARATION BTWN IFR AND VFR PRACTICE ACFT INTO LAL AND CALL ALL VFR PRACTICE ACFT INBOUND TO THE TWR. RPTR ALLEGES THAT A RECENT FACILITY EVALUATION NOTED THAT THEY ARE NOT TO PROVIDE SEPARATION SVCS TO VFR PRACTICE APCHS. RPTR IMPLIED THAT VFR PRACTICE APCH ACFT ARE NOT TO BE CALLED TO THE TWR. RPTR STATED THAT PROC WAS USED; LCL CTLR SURPRISED AND HAD TO BREAK OFF APCH TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH PATTERN TFC.
Synopsis
RPTR CLAIMS FACILITY USED TO PROVIDE SEPARATION BTWN IFR AND VFR PRACTICE ACFT INTO LAL AND CALL ALL VFR PRACTICE ACFT INBOUND TO THE TWR. RPTR ALLEGES THAT A RECENT FACILITY EVALUATION NOTED THAT THEY ARE NOT TO PROVIDE SEPARATION SVCS TO VFR PRACTICE APCHS. RPTR IMPLIED THAT VFR PRACTICE APCH ACFT ARE NOT TO BE CALLED TO THE TWR. RPTR STATED THAT PROC WAS USED; LCL CTLR SURPRISED AND HAD TO BREAK OFF APCH TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH PATTERN TFC.
Narrative
WE SEEM TO HAVE A PROCEDURAL PROB WHICH NOT ONLY AFFECTS TPA BUT MANY OTHER APCH CTLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE PROVIDE RADAR SVC TO THE LAL ARPT; ONE OF THE BUSIEST NON FEDERAL CTL TWRS IN THE UNITED STATES. FOR YRS; WE HAVE PROVIDED FOR SEPARATION OF ALL IFR AND VFR ACFT INTO AND OUT OF LAL. TPA RECENTLY HAD A FACILITY EVALUATION IN WHICH IT WAS NOTED THAT WE ARE NOT TO PROVIDE SEPARATION SVCS TO VFR PRACTICE APCHS INTO LAL. IT WAS SHOWN BY THE EVALUATIONS THAT WE ARE NOT TO 'CLR' VFR PRACTICE ACFT FOR AN INST APCH. WE ARE ONLY TO INFORM VFR ACFT CONDUCTING PRACTICE INST APCHS OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) 'MAINTAIN VFR;' 2) 'SEPARATION SVCS ARE NOT PROVIDED;' 3) 'PRACTICE APCH APPROVED.' IN REALITY; WE COULD USE THIS PHRASEOLOGY AND 'PERMIT' 4; 5; 6; OR MORE ACFT TO DO VFR PRACTICE APCHS AT LAL ALL AT THE SAME TIME. WE ARE TAKING 5 STEPS BACKWARDS WITH THIS PROC. WE USED TO SEPARATE ALL IFR AND VFR PRACTICE ACFT INTO LAL. WE USED TO CALL ALL VFR PRACTICE INBOUNDS TO LAL TWR. TODAY; I FOLLOWED THIS PROC AND DID NOT CALL A VFR PRACTICE APCH TO THE TWR. THE LAL TWR CTLRS WERE VERY SURPRISED AS THEY HAD 6 ACFT IN THE VFR TFC PATTERN. LAL TWR BROKE THE ACFT OFF OF THE APCH TO AVOID A COLLISION. DID WE PROVIDE A SVC TO THESE USERS? NO.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.