ATCT CTLR AT TEB; APPARENTLY OVERLOADED WITH TFC; MAY HAVE BEEN INEXCUSABLY BLUNT WITH PLTS ASKING FOR INFO AND AIR TFC SVC.

Date: 2001-02 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

ATCT CTLR AT TEB; APPARENTLY OVERLOADED WITH TFC; MAY HAVE BEEN INEXCUSABLY BLUNT WITH PLTS ASKING FOR INFO AND AIR TFC SVC.

Narrative

I WAS NOT FLYING THIS DAY BUT WAS MONITORING THE TEB TWR FREQ WHILE WAITING FOR AN ARR ACFT. I MUST RPT THE FOLLOWING: TEB TWR WAS TELLING IBND VFR ACFT TO 'REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS D' WHILE IFR ACFT WERE ROUTINELY CLRED IN. A HEARD THE PLT OF A TURBOPROP CALL THE TWR (OBVIOUSLY HIS SECOND CALL) AND ASK 'WHEN CAN WE EXPECT A CALLBACK' AND TEB TWR REPLIED 'DON'T CALL US WE'LL CALL YOU' TO WHICH THE PLT REPLIED; 'WE ONLY HAVE 2 HRS OF FUEL REMAINING' TO WHICH TEB TWR REPLIED 'THEN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.' I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I HEARD! BUT THEN AGAIN... NOTHING SURPRISE ME AT TEB ANYMORE; THE PROB IS NOT WITH ALL OF THE CTLRS AT TEB. IT IS ONLY A FEW BUT IT IS THE INTERACTION WITH THE ONE CTLR WITH AN ATTITUDE PROB THAT MAKE THE IMPRESSION. IT IS ROUTINE HERE TO HAVE TO MAKE MULTIPLE CALLS TO TWR OR GND WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO FREQ CONGESTION AND TEMPERS FLARING. ALSO; THE AIRMANS INFO MANUAL (AIM) STATES IN PARAGRAPH 5-4-23 'LNDG PRIORITY' THAT ACFT LNDG PRIORITY IS TO BE ON A 'FIRST COME FIRST COME SERVE BASIS'... NOT IFR PRIORITY OVER VFR TFC. SOMEONE NEEDS TO ALERT THE TWR TO THESE PROBS. A SUGGESTION: WHENEVER VFR ACFT ARE TOLD TO REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS D; THE TWR SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO STATE 'HOW LONG' THE HOLD IS... JUST LIKE IFR ACFT ARE ISSUED EFC TIMES.

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