FAA Forced to close Charleston, W.VA Tower...

[surreal1221]

For 90 minutes due to controller staffing shortage....

NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2007
CONTACT: Jim Ennis, NATCA Charleston, W.Va., Facility Rep., 304-444-8984

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Federal Aviation Administration last Friday, May 11, was forced to close the air traffic control tower at Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va. (CRW), for 90 minutes because it did not have enough controllers to staff the evening shift at the 24-hour facility.

In the first hour of the tower being left uncontrolled by the FAA, there were 18 aircraft that taxied, landed, and departed the airport. Of the 18, nine were air taxis, eight were general aviation and one was a Lifeguard Healthnet Helicopter, which was delayed by the tower’s closing despite its urgency in needing to be accommodated because it was taking part in a rescue operation.

“The pilots were expecting the tower to be open, with air traffic controllers guiding them safely in and out of this airport,” said Jim Ennis, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s facility representative at the Charleston tower and terminal radar approach control facility (TRACON). “This was an extremely unsafe situation.”

Because of the staffing crisis at CRW, almost every shift is scheduled with less than the minimum amount of controllers needed to perform the necessary duties. On Friday, Ennis was scheduled to work the evening shift with three other controllers. The shifts require at least five controllers to provide a safe and expeditious flow of traffic, as FAA orders require. One of the scheduled controllers was forced to call in sick and a second left the facility due to illness before the end of their shift. Keep in mind that the medical standards for controllers are much higher than most other occupations. Controllers are prohibited from working if they're on most types of medication, including over-the-counter drugs like Sudafed.

Overtime was authorized for the shift. However, only one controller was eligible to work overtime due to requirements for other shifts. At CRW, the FAA is using approximately 60-70 hours of overtime a week just to have a fighting chance to even approach its staffing needs, leaving few controllers available for any forced overtime when needed. The result was that the evening shift crew was down to two controllers after 8 p.m. instead of the required five. Against the advice of Ennis, FAA managers ordered controllers to run the shift from the TRACON, thus making the tower uncontrolled.

“We had no procedures and were not trained for this type of operation and some of the safety ramifications,” Ennis said. “I recommended that we release our airspace to Indianapolis Center (making CRW a visual flight rules tower but nonetheless staffed by the two controllers on duty), as we have appropriate procedures and are trained for this type of operation. But I was overruled.

“The next 90 minutes was complete chaos. We were short staffed, significantly busy, and now forced to come up with a game plan to do something we had neither procedures nor training to do. Due to closing the tower, many aircraft were put into an unsafe environment that included construction on and around the airport, safety equipment that was not monitored, a change in routine operations, local weather not available to aircraft on the ground nor disseminated via the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service), an inability to adjust the airfield lighting panel, unfamiliar aircraft operating on movement areas, etc.”

In addition to the delay of a Healthnet helicopter (stationed at CRW) on an active rescue flight, another aircraft crossed the active runway while on approach frequency because they were lost and could not find the fixed base operator facility on the airport grounds to which they were trying to taxi. Yet another aircraft, an air taxi, was required to abort its landing because they received an unsafe glide slope indication. “We had no idea if the glide slope was operating correctly or not,” Ennis said. “The monitor is in the tower cab.”

[v1valarob]

I feel like Im stepping into territory that I shouldnt by posting in here but oh well...

Why couldnt this just revert to an uncontrolled airport and everyone go on the tower frequency to make position reports, and a message left on the ATIS that the tower was down? NOTAMs anyone? Sorry, it just seems like the aircraft that where complaining had never been to an uncontrolled airport before.

-Rob

[surreal1221]

Yeah. . .well, you're going to get stepped on. . .

That idea, is a horrible one.

Once the FAA realizes that "safety" no longer matters to even pilots, they will make a number of the facilities (at the local / tower level) uncontrolled. . .and, do exactly what you are suggesting.

Does that make it right? Does it provide the level of safety that is required for the near by population? Does it provide the level of safety, and seperation standards for IFR and VFR flights in the local area?

No. . .and, well, if anyone in the FAA has any sort of integrity left in their bones (controllers excluded. . .I'm speaking about the mangers), they know the right decision is to negotiate a contract, with the status quo pay, or better, so that they can attract ATC-CTI, VRA, and retiring military controllers to take over the scopes.

Do I see that happening...nope.

[Tiger815]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

Yeah. . .well, you're going to get stepped on. . .

That idea, is a horrible one.

Once the FAA realizes that "safety" no longer matters to even pilots, they will make a number of the facilities (at the local / tower level) uncontrolled. . .and, do exactly what you are suggesting.

Does that make it right? Does it provide the level of safety that is required for the near by population? Does it provide the level of safety, and seperation standards for IFR and VFR flights in the local area?

No. . .and, well, if anyone in the FAA has any sort of integrity left in their bones (controllers excluded. . .I'm speaking about the mangers), they know the right decision is to negotiate a contract, with the status quo pay, or better, so that they can attract ATC-CTI, VRA, and retiring military controllers to take over the scopes.

Do I see that happening...nope.

I don't think pilot controlled fields are necessarily less safe than towered airports. In fact, there is one towered airport where I used to fly regularly where I felt the tower only added to frequency congestion and increased the chances of a mid-air.

As far as CRW, according to Airnav's data, I can point you to several pilot controlled fields with the same number of operations per day and can name one off the top of my head (KFDK) that has nearly twice as many daily operations with no control tower. There is no reason the number of operations at CRW couldn't be handled without a control tower.

The problem here to me is more one of expectations. The pilots EXPECTED the tower to be open and don't want to get violated, so didn't know how to react right away. Never the less, I can't see why a message on the ATIS wouldn't satisfactorly address the issue.

[BobDDuck]

Tiger, I'm not sure what you fly, but from the point of view of somebody coming into an uncontrolled field doing 200 knots in the pattern and trying to see and avoid and HOPE that everybody else is talking, I certainly find it much safer to have a tower. Sure, there are times were it gets congested because tower is sorting stuff out, but I would rather deal with that then nothing.

You are comparing Yeager with Fredrick and while they may have close to the same number of ops a day, the majority of FDK's are GA while CRW has a whole lot of commercial and military traffic.

[icephalt24]

Bob is right. Its got less to do with how many fly in and out as it does what it is that flies in and out. There are some pretty slow class D's out there that only have a tower because what traffic they do get is going way too fast to see and avoid. For example any MTSU pilot knows MQY is no more busy than MBT, but MQY gets the tower because when the Saabs, Jetstreams, Lears etc come in, a unicom doesn't quite provide the level of safety you'd want.

[Sidious]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

In addition to the delay of a Healthnet helicopter (stationed at CRW) on an active rescue flight, another aircraft crossed the active runway while on approach frequency because they were lost and could not find the fixed base operator facility on the airport grounds to which they were trying to taxi. Yet another aircraft, an air taxi, was required to abort its landing because they received an unsafe glide slope indication. “We had no idea if the glide slope was operating correctly or not,” Ennis said. “The monitor is in the tower cab.”

That paragraph right there should stop all the arguments.

I have a small idea of how bad the ATC situation is but does anyone in the know think this will be more widespread?

I wasnt around during the Regan crisis but have done my share of reading and it sounded like a nightmare.... will it be that bad?

[Old Pete]

Originally Posted by v1valarob

I feel like Im stepping into territory that I shouldnt by posting in here but oh well...

Why couldnt this just revert to an uncontrolled airport and everyone go on the tower frequency to make position reports, and a message left on the ATIS that the tower was down? NOTAMs anyone? Sorry, it just seems like the aircraft that where complaining had never been to an uncontrolled airport before.

-Rob

Of course it could, and in fact it does happen every night at many airports around the country.

[v1valarob]

Originally Posted by Old Pete

Of course it could, and in fact it does happen every night at many airports around the country.

Such as Manassas where I fly out of. Tower is down from 2200-0600. They still have Saabs (Colgan base!) and many other charter jet aircraft that fly in and out.

I guess the real issue for you tower guys is the fact that management isnt helping out, an issue that I dont even want to act like I know about.

-Rob

[EDUC8-or]

Depending on the SOP for the airport it might go to a one in one out policy when it goes uncontrolled. That means ATC won't let you in or out if you're on an IFR flight plan. The other night we were 20 miles out and FedEx had to wait for us to land before ATC would let them out.