MILFAC TRACON COORD WITH FAA ATCT FOR CIRCLING APCH; TO FOLLOW SF34 AHEAD. ATCT DISAPPROVES COORD REQUEST; BUT FINDS MILFAC HAS XFERRED COORD OF FOLLOWING TFC; T37. ATCT LCL CTLR REQUIRED TO TAKE ADDITIONAL ACTION TO ENSURE SEPARATION BTWN BOTH ACFT.

Date: 1998-11 · Aircraft: Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

Anomalies: atc-issue-all-types|conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

MILFAC TRACON COORD WITH FAA ATCT FOR CIRCLING APCH; TO FOLLOW SF34 AHEAD. ATCT DISAPPROVES COORD REQUEST; BUT FINDS MILFAC HAS XFERRED COORD OF FOLLOWING TFC; T37. ATCT LCL CTLR REQUIRED TO TAKE ADDITIONAL ACTION TO ENSURE SEPARATION BTWN BOTH ACFT.

Narrative

FT SILL ARAC REQUESTED VISUAL SEPARATION BTWN ACFT X ON AN ILS CIRCLING TO LAND ON RWY 17; AND ACFT Y AHEAD OF ACFT X ON THE ILS. I RPTED UNABLE DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND HAZY CONDITIONS. I CLRED ACFT Y FOR THE OPTION TO RWY 35. WHEN ACFT X CHKED ON; I TOLD HIM HE COULD CIRCLE IN THE DIRECTION OF HIS CHOICE TO RWY 17. I OBSERVED THE T37 (ACFT Y) AT THE N END OF THE RWY AND ACFT X ON A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 17 APCHING MIDFIELD. THE ACFT WERE LESS THAN 2 MI APART AT THAT TIME. THE T37 CLBED OUT TO THE SW AND SEPARATION INCREASED BTWN THOSE 2 ACFT. AS ACFT X WAS TURNING FINAL TO RWY 17; AN ARAC CTLR CALLED TO ADVISE ME TO BREAK OUT THE T37 OVER THE VOR. SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THAT XMISSION; THE T37 WAS RPTING ON MY FREQ AT THE OM. BY THE TIME COM COULD BE ESTABLISHED WITH THAT T37; THE 2 ACFT WERE LESS THAN 3 MI APART; OPPOSITE DIRECTION. LAWTON TWR DOES NOT HAVE DBRITE OR ANY OTHER TFC DISPLAY DEVICE. WE MUST RELY COMPLETELY ON VISUAL OBSERVATIONS; ACFT RPTS AND POS RPTS FROM FT SILL ARAC. FT SILL ARAC IS CURRENTLY AT CRITICAL STAFFING; TRYING TO TRAIN NUMEROUS DEVELOPMENTALS AND FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. I AM FAMILIAR WITH AT LEAST 4 LOSSES OF IFR SEPARATION WITHIN THE LAST 10 DAYS AND AM CONCERNED THAT A FUTURE INCIDENT MAY HAVE MUCH WORSE CONSEQUENCES. A DBRITE; COMPUTER DISPLAY OF FT SILL ARAC RADAR; TWR MOUNTED TCASII OR SOME OTHER DEVICE THAT WOULD GIVE THE LCL CTLR TFC INFO WOULD GREATLY ENHANCE SAFETY AT LAW; ENABLE US TO BETTER ASSIST FT SILL ARAC AND ALLOW US TO PREVENT MANY SITS FROM CAUSING A LOSS OF SEPARATION.

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