C152 MAKES INCORRECT POS RPT AND SUBSEQUENTLY FLIES THROUGH GFK'S 2 TFC PATTERNS. CTLRS BELIEVE ADDITIONAL D-BRITE RADAR WOULD HAVE ASSISTED TO MITIGATE THIS PROB.

Date: 2001-01 · Aircraft: Cessna 152 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

C152 MAKES INCORRECT POS RPT AND SUBSEQUENTLY FLIES THROUGH GFK'S 2 TFC PATTERNS. CTLRS BELIEVE ADDITIONAL D-BRITE RADAR WOULD HAVE ASSISTED TO MITIGATE THIS PROB.

Narrative

EXTREMELY BUSY ARPT DUE TO HIGH DENSITY STUDENT ACTIVITY. 2 TWR LCL CTLRS. 1 D-BRITE LOCATED IN THE CABIN -- NOT READILY AVAILABLE TO BOTH LCL CTLRS. A CESSNA MADE AN INACCURATE POS RPT. IN REALITY THE ACFT WAS APCHING THE ARPT FROM W OF THE ARPT; NOT THE E AS RPTED BY THE PLT. DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF TFC; I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO WALK TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CABIN TO SCAN THE BRITE RADAR. DOING SO WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY SHOWN THE ACFT WAS IN FACT APCHING FROM THE NW; NOT NE AS INDICATED FROM THE PLT. THE ACFT FLEW THROUGH 2 DOWNWIND LEGS AND THROUGH 2 UPWIND LEGS OF THE PARALLEL RWYS BEFORE THE TWR VISUALLY LOCATED THE ACFT. IMMEDIATE OBSERVANCE OF A RADAR DISPLAY WOULD HAVE ASSISTED THE TWR IN LOCATING THE ACFT MUCH SOONER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: GRAND FORKS AFB (RDR) PROVIDES THE APCH CTL SVC FOR GFK. A GFK TWR SPOKESMAN ADVISED GFK IS A NON RADAR TWR WITH D-BRITE. GFK DOES NOT HAVE ANY LIMITED APCH CTL AUTH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 497898: WHILE WORKING LCL W AT GFK; A C152 GAVE A WRONG POS RPT. HE FIRST WENT THROUGH MY PATTERN THEN LCL E'S PATTERN. WITH THE USE OF AN EXTRA (SECOND) D-BRITE; THIS SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.

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