A TWR CTLR AT TYS CLAIMS THE LOW HT OF THE TWR PREVENTED HIM FROM SEEING A SMA ACFT REENTERING THE RWY WITHOUT A CLRNC.

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THE LANCAIR CROSSED RWY 23L/5R WITHOUT A CLRNC. I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THAT ACFT WAS ON THE RWY DUE TO OUR TWR HT. ANOTHER ACFT WARNED ME THE LANCAIR WAS ON THE RWY. OUR TWR IS LESS THAN 1/2 THE HT THAT FAA STANDARDS SAY IT SHOULD BE. IF ANOTHER ACFT HAD BEEN LNDG HE MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE HIT THE LANCAIR. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CLARIFIED THE PROB OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE ACFT; OCCURS AT NIGHT. HE SAID LIGHTS COMING FROM THE TERMINAL SIDE OF THE ARPT ARE VERY BRIGHT AND BLIND THE CTLRS VIEW OF ACFT OPERATING ON RWY 05R/23L AND THE TERMINAL AREA. THE LIGHTS ARE ON THE TERMINAL; HOTELS; CAR DEALER LOTS; AND VEHICLES ON A BUSY FREEWAY. THE TWR HAS HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH LOCAL CONGRESSMAN'S AIDE; THE REGIONAL OFFICE; AND TENANTS ACROSS THE FIELD. THE RPTR SAID THEY WERE TOLD IT COULD COST 6 TO 10 MILLION DOLLARS TO RELOCATE THE TWR AND NO MONEY IS AVAILABLE. THE RPTR ALSO COMMENTED THAT TYS ARPT IS NUMBER 10 IN NATION FOR RWY INCURSIONS. HE SAID AN EVALUATION CONCLUDED THAT THE TWR SHOULD BE APPROX 30 FT HIGHER TO GIVE THE CTLRS A BETTER ANGLE AND VIEW OF THE TERMINAL AREA.