DESCRIBING A BUSY TFC SESSION AT BTL ARPT; ATCT CTLR EXPLAINS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT A D-BRITE RADAR IS NEEDED IN THE TWR.
Synopsis
DESCRIBING A BUSY TFC SESSION AT BTL ARPT; ATCT CTLR EXPLAINS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT A D-BRITE RADAR IS NEEDED IN THE TWR.
Narrative
I WAS WORKING TWR POS AT BIL ATCT (CONTRACT TWR). LNDG AND DEP RWY 5 AND DEP RWY 31 FROM A DISPLACED THRESHOLD (WE HAD TXWY AND RWY CLOSURES DUE TO WKEND SPECIAL EVENT). Y (STUDENT SOLO) CALLED 10 MI NW INBOUND AND WAS TOLD TO RPT 3 MI DIRECTLY WITH A PLANNED L TFC RWY 5. X (CFII INST STUDENT) CALLED ON A VOR RWY 5 PRACTICE APCH AND WAS TOLD TO RPT FAF INBOUND. Y RPTED 3 MI W AND WAS TOLD TO ENTER MIDFIELD L DOWNWIND (I WOULD HAVE SEQUENCED HIM UPON ENTERING DOWNWIND). AT THIS TIME; I HAD 3 CE172 CLOSED PATTERN FOR TOUCH-AND-GOES; ANOTHER 3 OR 4 ENTERING THE PATTERN OR ABOUT TO; DEP TO GO AND OTHER INBOUNDS HOLDING OUTSIDE CLASS D AIRSPACE (THE FREQ WAS BUSY!). I MISSED THE FAF RPT AND CALLED OVER I94 (2 MI SW) AND WAS TOLD HE WAS #2 FOLLOWING TFC AHEAD ON FINAL. INQUIRING WHO THE ACFT WAS ON L BASE; Y (WHO NEVER RPTED ENTERING L DOWNWIND) SAID HE HAD AN ACFT ABOVE HIM ON FINAL APCH. I TOLD X TO GO AROUND AND ACFT Y (WHO HAD ALREADY FLOWN THROUGH THE FINAL) TO HIS ALT; FLY STRAIGHT AHEAD SE TO EXIT THE PATTERN AND RE-ENTER ON A MIDFIELD R DOWNWIND. X MADE L CLOSED PATTERN AND LANDED RWY 5. Y ENTERED R DOWNWIND AND LANDED RWY 5. BOTH BEING SEQUENCED WITH OTHER PATTERN TFC. X CFI LATER SAID HIS PASSING Y WAS QUITE CLOSE. AT BTL THE TWR IS 2 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD RWY 5 AND 3 MI FROM BASE LEG. WE ARE BADLY IN NEED OF D-BRITE TWR RADAR (EASILY PIPED IN FROM AZO); BUT THE FAA WILL WAIT UNTIL SOMETHING WORSE HAPPENS. THERE HAS BEEN YRS OF TALK ABOUT RELOCATING THE TWR TO A MORE CENTRAL POINT ON THE ARPT. THE FLT SCHOOL SHOULD BE STAGGERING THEIR TRAINING SESSIONS; INSTEAD OF SENDING 15-20 ACFT OUT WITHIN 10 MINS (EVERY 1 1/2 HR) AND WE GETTING DUMPED ON 1 HR LATER WHEN THEY ALL WANT TO COME BACK IN AT THE SAME TIME.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.