2008-08 · NASA ASRS report 806495
TUL SUPVR CTLR DESCRIBED TKOF INCIDENT WHEN LCL CTLR CLRED ACR FOR DEP ON CLOSED RWY; LACK OF STATUS INFO AND POOR COORD WITH ARPT CITED.
A SURFACE ERROR OCCURRED ON A CLOSED RWY WHEN AN ACR ACFT X WAS RELEASED FOR DEP. THE DEP RWY (RWY 8) HAD BEEN CLOSED FOR MAINT BY A NOTAM ISSUED BY THE ARPT OPERATOR. THE TWR CTLR WAS UNAWARE OF THE RWY'S CLOSED STATUS BECAUSE THE NOTAM INFO WAS INADVERTENTLY OMITTED FROM HIS STATUS DISPLAY AREA (IDS-4); AND NO OTHER COM HAD OCCURRED BTWN ARPT MAINT VEHICLES AND THE TWR. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT RWY MAINT HAD NOT BEGUN AND THE RWY WAS CLR. THERE ARE NO FORMAL PROCS IN PLACE THAT REQUIRE RADIO CONTACT BTWN TUL TWR CTLRS AND ARPT VEHICLES BEFORE A MOVEMENT AREA IS CLOSED OR RETURNED TO SVC. WHILE THIS COORD NORMALLY DOES OCCUR; IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE COMS BTWN TWR AND ARPT VEHICLES DID NOT TAKE PLACE. THE ONLY THING THAT CHANGED THE OPEN STATUS OF THE RWY WERE THE HANDS OF THE CLOCK. BECAUSE THE TWR CTLR HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING ABOUT THE CLOSURE; HE SCANNED THE RWY AND CLRED ACFT X FOR TKOF. THIS ERROR WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD THE CURRENT LOA BTWN THE TUL ATCT AND THE ARPT CONTAINED RADIO COM PROCS FOR RWY CLOSURES. IF WE ARE TO RELY SOLELY ON ELECTRONIC COMS TO OPEN AND CLOSE RWYS; THE RECURRENCE OF THIS KIND OF ERROR IS LIKELY. TUL ATCT HAS OFFERED A REVISED LOA TO TULSA ARPT AUTH THAT REQUIRES RADIO COM PROCS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLOSURE AND OPENING OF RWYS AND MOVEMENT AREAS.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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