B727 REQUIRED TO EXECUTE TWO GAR'S DUE TO TFC ON THE RWY; AND EMER VEHICLE XING ON AN INTERSECTING RWY.

Narrative

TWO GAR'S FROM BELOW 1000 FT AGL. MSP RWY 12R. BECAUSE OF THE REDUCED INTERVALS BTWN ARRIVING AND DEPARTING ACFT (TOO ACCOMMODATE MORE TFC); WE HAD A TWR DIRECTED GAR FROM 400 FT AGL. THE DEPARTING ACFT WAS DELAYED ON TKOF ROLL BECAUSE OF AN ARR TRYING TO CLR THE RWY. DURING THE SUBSEQUENT VISUAL APCH TO 12R; AN EMER ACFT (DC-9) WAS EXECUTING AN APCH TO RWY 4. IT LANDED AHEAD OF US; AND WAS WELL THROUGH THE INTXN OF RWYS 4 AND 12R; BUT ONE OF THE GND VEHICLES ATTENDING THE EMER HAD NOT CROSSED THE INTXN. AN ACFT IN POS ON 12R WAS CLRED FOR TKOF; BUT THE CREW QUESTIONED THE TWR ABOUT THAT VEHICLE. BY THE TIME THE ACFT WAS ROLLING FOR TKOF; THE INTERNAL WAS QUESTIONABLE AND A SEC GAR WAS DICTATED BY THE TWR. WE ADVISED APCH CTL THAT ANOTHER GAR WOULD CAUSE US TO BE MINIMUM FUEL; WE LANDED WITH 7800 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING. IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE MORE DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS; THE INTERVALS BTWN ACFT HAVE BEEN DECREASED AT THE MSP ARPT. POTENTIAL GAR SITS HAVE BECOME MORE NUMEROUS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YRS. THE FOURTH RWY (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) SHOULD HELP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE HAS INCURRED AND WITNESSED MORE GAR'S WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS THAN IN THE PAST YR. THE PLT BELIEVES THIS IS IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO INCREASED AIR TRAFFIC ACTIVITY AT MSP. THE ACR PLT'S ARE REFERRING TO THIS TYPE OF AIR TRAFFIC OPERATION AS 'SHOEHORNING'. HE BELIEVES THAT CTLRS ARE NOT ALLOWING FOR THE ADDITIONAL TIME FOR AN ACFT NEEDS TO DEPART-DUE TO TEMP AND HUMIDITY.