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Approach controller neglected to notify tower of arriving traffic. Frequency congestion so late communication.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 126032 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198910 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : ord |
| State Reference | IL |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 2500 msl bound upper : 2500 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : ord tower : cgx tower : srq |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear |
| Flight Phase | cruise other descent : approach landing other |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Transport, Low Wing, 2 Recip Eng |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach landing other |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : private pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 600 flight time type : 350 |
| ASRS Report | 126032 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Qualification | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | ATC Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Operational Deviation Inter Facility Coordination Failure |
Narrative:
I was inbound to chicago's meigs airport, VFR from the east. I had been using VFR flight following since just after my departure and was passed from lansing approach to chicago center, to south bend approach, to chicago approach, to meigs tower. On the last pass off, from chicago approach to meigs tower, there was some confusion. The conversation went, as I heard it, as follows: chicago approach: '(aircraft, north#), meigs field is 10-11 O'clock and 10 mi. Do you have the airport in sight?' me: 'affirmative, (north#).' chicago: (north#), traffic, 10 O'clock, 4 mi, an small transport entering the pattern at meigs, left downwind for runway 18. Do you have that traffic?' me: '(north#), affirmative, I have the traffic.' chicago: 'roger, follow that small transport--he's faster than you. Do you have the current meigs ATIS information?' me: 'that's affirmative, (north#).' chicago: 'roger, you're 6 mi from meigs. Contact meigs tower now on 1-2-1.3.' me: 'roger, 21.3, (north#).' I then switched to the meigs tower frequency. Immediately upon switching to the frequency, the small transport pilot was already talking to the tower controller. I continued to follow the small transport as I had been instructed by the approach controller, and I attempted to establish radio contact with the tower as soon as a break was available. The tower controller and the small transport pilot were both speaking very slowly and leaving their mics keyed for long periods of time. By the time I could establish contact, I was only about 2 mi east of the field. After establishing contact, the conversation went as follows: tower controller: '(north#), what's your position?' me: 'about a mi or so east of the field, entering a left downwind for 1-8 behind the small transport.' tower: 'well, you're not supposed to enter the air traffic area west/O permission, but we'll let it go this time.' me: 'I was told to follow the small transport and then to contact you, but when I switched to this frequency, you were already talking to the small transport, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise.' tower: 'I can't believe approach didn't tell me you were coming. I'll have to call him and see what's going on. Anyway, you're cleared to land, #2 behind the small transport.' me: 'roger, cleared to land, #2.' I was only at meigs long enough to drop off a passenger, and upon leaving I apologized for the confusion. The tower controller said that his 'beef' was with the chicago approach controller, not me, and that they (meigs) get a lot of infrequent fliers in there so they want to be extra careful. I want to point out that the quotations I have shown are not everything said, but only the portions of conversation directed at me (ie, the controllers talked to other planes, too). I believe all the confusion could have been avoided if there had been better communication, and if I had been turned over to meigs sooner. In the future, I would be tempted to come in west/O VFR flight following and call meigs directly myself before entering the air traffic area, or just file IFR regardless of the WX. The problem with the latter is that you will then be vectored to timbuktu and back just to get in.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: APCH CTLR NEGLECTED TO NOTIFY TWR OF ARRIVING TRAFFIC. FREQ CONGESTION SO LATE COM.
Narrative: I WAS INBND TO CHICAGO'S MEIGS ARPT, VFR FROM THE E. I HAD BEEN USING VFR FLT FOLLOWING SINCE JUST AFTER MY DEP AND WAS PASSED FROM LANSING APCH TO CHICAGO CENTER, TO S BEND APCH, TO CHICAGO APCH, TO MEIGS TWR. ON THE LAST PASS OFF, FROM CHICAGO APCH TO MEIGS TWR, THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION. THE CONVERSATION WENT, AS I HEARD IT, AS FOLLOWS: CHICAGO APCH: '(ACFT, N#), MEIGS FIELD IS 10-11 O'CLOCK AND 10 MI. DO YOU HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT?' ME: 'AFFIRMATIVE, (N#).' CHICAGO: (N#), TFC, 10 O'CLOCK, 4 MI, AN SMT ENTERING THE PATTERN AT MEIGS, LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 18. DO YOU HAVE THAT TFC?' ME: '(N#), AFFIRMATIVE, I HAVE THE TFC.' CHICAGO: 'ROGER, FOLLOW THAT SMT--HE'S FASTER THAN YOU. DO YOU HAVE THE CURRENT MEIGS ATIS INFO?' ME: 'THAT'S AFFIRMATIVE, (N#).' CHICAGO: 'ROGER, YOU'RE 6 MI FROM MEIGS. CONTACT MEIGS TWR NOW ON 1-2-1.3.' ME: 'ROGER, 21.3, (N#).' I THEN SWITCHED TO THE MEIGS TWR FREQ. IMMEDIATELY UPON SWITCHING TO THE FREQ, THE SMT PLT WAS ALREADY TALKING TO THE TWR CTLR. I CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THE SMT AS I HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED BY THE APCH CTLR, AND I ATTEMPTED TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH THE TWR AS SOON AS A BREAK WAS AVAILABLE. THE TWR CTLR AND THE SMT PLT WERE BOTH SPEAKING VERY SLOWLY AND LEAVING THEIR MICS KEYED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. BY THE TIME I COULD ESTABLISH CONTACT, I WAS ONLY ABOUT 2 MI E OF THE FIELD. AFTER ESTABLISHING CONTACT, THE CONVERSATION WENT AS FOLLOWS: TWR CTLR: '(N#), WHAT'S YOUR POS?' ME: 'ABOUT A MI OR SO E OF THE FIELD, ENTERING A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR 1-8 BEHIND THE SMT.' TWR: 'WELL, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ENTER THE ATA W/O PERMISSION, BUT WE'LL LET IT GO THIS TIME.' ME: 'I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW THE SMT AND THEN TO CONTACT YOU, BUT WHEN I SWITCHED TO THIS FREQ, YOU WERE ALREADY TALKING TO THE SMT, AND I COULDN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE.' TWR: 'I CAN'T BELIEVE APCH DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE COMING. I'LL HAVE TO CALL HIM AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. ANYWAY, YOU'RE CLRED TO LAND, #2 BEHIND THE SMT.' ME: 'ROGER, CLRED TO LAND, #2.' I WAS ONLY AT MEIGS LONG ENOUGH TO DROP OFF A PAX, AND UPON LEAVING I APOLOGIZED FOR THE CONFUSION. THE TWR CTLR SAID THAT HIS 'BEEF' WAS WITH THE CHICAGO APCH CTLR, NOT ME, AND THAT THEY (MEIGS) GET A LOT OF INFREQUENT FLIERS IN THERE SO THEY WANT TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL. I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE QUOTATIONS I HAVE SHOWN ARE NOT EVERYTHING SAID, BUT ONLY THE PORTIONS OF CONVERSATION DIRECTED AT ME (IE, THE CTLRS TALKED TO OTHER PLANES, TOO). I BELIEVE ALL THE CONFUSION COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THERE HAD BEEN BETTER COM, AND IF I HAD BEEN TURNED OVER TO MEIGS SOONER. IN THE FUTURE, I WOULD BE TEMPTED TO COME IN W/O VFR FLT FOLLOWING AND CALL MEIGS DIRECTLY MYSELF BEFORE ENTERING THE ATA, OR JUST FILE IFR REGARDLESS OF THE WX. THE PROB WITH THE LATTER IS THAT YOU WILL THEN BE VECTORED TO TIMBUKTU AND BACK JUST TO GET IN.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.