FLC OF A DC9 NOTICED ACFT LIGHTS AT APCH END OF BUF RWY 5 AND WENT AROUND AFTER QUESTIONING CTLR WHO HAD JUST RELIEVED PREVIOUS CTLR WHO HAD CLRED A CL65 INTO POS AND NOT INFORMED RELIEVING CTLR.
Synopsis
FLC OF A DC9 NOTICED ACFT LIGHTS AT APCH END OF BUF RWY 5 AND WENT AROUND AFTER QUESTIONING CTLR WHO HAD JUST RELIEVED PREVIOUS CTLR WHO HAD CLRED A CL65 INTO POS AND NOT INFORMED RELIEVING CTLR.
Narrative
CTLR JUST ASSUMED LOCAL CTL POS. DID NOT KNOW THAT CARJ WAS IN POS AND HOLD ON RWY 05. DC9 ON SHORT FINAL NOTICED ACFT'S LIGHTS ON RWY AND QUESTIONED CTLR. DC9 WENT AROUND. THIS IS AT LEAST THE SECOND INSTANCE WHERE ACFT HAS GONE AROUND WITH ANOTHER ACFT IN POS ON RWY 05. PROB; IN SEPTEMBER TERMINAL EXPANSION WAS OPENED; IT HAS NEW RAMP LIGHTS WITH RED OBSTRUCTION LIGHTS. FROM THE TWR THESE LIGHTS BLEND IN WITH RWY LIGHTS AT THE APCH END OF RWY 05. ACFT ARE NOT VISIBLE ON TXWY 'A;' RUN-UP AREA; OR HOLDING SHORT. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE ACFT IN POS AND HOLD. NATCA HAS REQUESTED ARPT TO LOWER AND SHIELD RAMP LIGHTS. NO ACTION. NATCA REQUESTED APCH END RWY 5 BE DESIGNATED NOT VISIBLE FROM TWR AT NIGHT; SO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD NOT BE USED; NO ACTION. FAA SAYS ACFT ARE VISIBLE. USING BINOCULARS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE LIGHTING INTERFERENCE IN IDENTIFYING ACFT IN POS ON RWY 5 IS WORSE SINCE THE NEW TERMINAL EXTENSION HAS HIGHER RED OBSTRUCTION LIGHTS. HOWEVER; THE RWY APCH AREA CAN BE SEEN WITH THE USE OF BINOCULARS. ALSO CAN BE SEEN DURING DAY LIGHT HRS WITHOUT BINOCULARS. THE RPTR FURTHER STATED THAT HE WAS NOT THE TWR CTLR INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT; BUT HAD OVER HEARD OTHER CTLRS RELATING THIS INCIDENT; AND DECIDED TO RPT IT.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.