Narrative:

Unacceptable large amounts of water coming in air traffic tower cabin attendant during rainstorm. 10-15 gals of water being removed each hour. The ceiling tiles, carpeting and equipment consoles are being destroyed by water damage. Overhead window heaters were sparking and with the saturated carpet and standing water this created a potential health hazard. Controllers were unable to use all available tower equipment and were unable to see south out the tower cabin attendant windows due to the plastic drop cloths creating an operational safety hazard. The tower cabin attendant has had an ongoing history of water control problems for the past 12 months. This situation is becoming an increasing health safety hazard due to electrical shock and fire. It's becoming an operational safety hazard due to the extensive damage to the equipment, the inability to use available equipment, and the limiting of visibility out of the south side of the tower cabin attendant, due to plastic wrap, taped to the windows to protect the equipment from further water damage. This situation has continued on through to 3/thu/90, due to the unchanging WX conditions. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter states that 2 ucr's have been filed on this problem. The first in 6/89 and the second in 3/90. Since the occurrence, major repairs have been completed on both the tower and TRACON roofs, however, an airport consultant has inspected the work and is not satisfied with it. The last ucr has been closed by facility manager stating that it has rained twice since the repair work was done and no leaks occurred. Reporter says that facility management was actively involved in this problem and came out on the day in question (sunday) and took video tape of the tower cabin attendant. Reporter says he was very responsive to the problem. No loss of separation or aircraft conflicts occurred during this incident. Supplemental information from acn 139583: I work at the tulsa int'l air traffic control tower. We had a typical spring thunderstorm with some heavy bursts of rain. The tower roof has leaked as long as I have been at tulsa which is over 4 yrs. This time (3/sun/90) was the worst I have seen. Below, is a list of results of the roof leak I observed. 1) 2 operating positions covered with plastic so water won't short out communication panels -- this is extremely unsafe because we have to work ground control from local west position which we use during our peak traffic periods. Air safety is now jeopardized because one controller is working tower traffic when we always use 2 controllers! 2) the plastic is taped to our south window and we cannot clearly see 1/4 of our movement area (this includes the air carrier terminal) unless we stand on a chair which could cause personal injury to a controller. 3) water leaked into window defogger causing sparking which could lead to a fire in the tower. 4) the carpet is soaked which means we controllers are walking ground sources for any stray power source we could happen to come in contact with.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWR ROOF WATER LEAK CAUSES SAFETY PROBLEMS WITH ATC PERSONNEL AND AIR TRAFFIC.

Narrative: UNACCEPTABLE LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER COMING IN AIR TFC TWR CAB DURING RAINSTORM. 10-15 GALS OF WATER BEING REMOVED EACH HOUR. THE CEILING TILES, CARPETING AND EQUIPMENT CONSOLES ARE BEING DESTROYED BY WATER DAMAGE. OVERHEAD WINDOW HEATERS WERE SPARKING AND WITH THE SATURATED CARPET AND STANDING WATER THIS CREATED A POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARD. CTLRS WERE UNABLE TO USE ALL AVAILABLE TWR EQUIPMENT AND WERE UNABLE TO SEE S OUT THE TWR CAB WINDOWS DUE TO THE PLASTIC DROP CLOTHS CREATING AN OPERATIONAL SAFETY HAZARD. THE TWR CAB HAS HAD AN ONGOING HISTORY OF WATER CONTROL PROBLEMS FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS. THIS SITUATION IS BECOMING AN INCREASING HEALTH SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO ELECTRICAL SHOCK AND FIRE. IT'S BECOMING AN OPERATIONAL SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE EQUIPMENT, THE INABILITY TO USE AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT, AND THE LIMITING OF VISIBILITY OUT OF THE S SIDE OF THE TWR CAB, DUE TO PLASTIC WRAP, TAPED TO THE WINDOWS TO PROTECT THE EQUIPMENT FROM FURTHER WATER DAMAGE. THIS SITUATION HAS CONTINUED ON THROUGH TO 3/THU/90, DUE TO THE UNCHANGING WX CONDITIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REPORTER STATES THAT 2 UCR'S HAVE BEEN FILED ON THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST IN 6/89 AND THE SECOND IN 3/90. SINCE THE OCCURRENCE, MAJOR REPAIRS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED ON BOTH THE TWR AND TRACON ROOFS, HOWEVER, AN ARPT CONSULTANT HAS INSPECTED THE WORK AND IS NOT SATISFIED WITH IT. THE LAST UCR HAS BEEN CLOSED BY FAC MGR STATING THAT IT HAS RAINED TWICE SINCE THE REPAIR WORK WAS DONE AND NO LEAKS OCCURRED. REPORTER SAYS THAT FAC MGMNT WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THIS PROBLEM AND CAME OUT ON THE DAY IN QUESTION (SUNDAY) AND TOOK VIDEO TAPE OF THE TWR CAB. REPORTER SAYS HE WAS VERY RESPONSIVE TO THE PROBLEM. NO LOSS OF SEPARATION OR ACFT CONFLICTS OCCURRED DURING THIS INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 139583: I WORK AT THE TULSA INT'L AIR TFC CTL TWR. WE HAD A TYPICAL SPRING TSTM WITH SOME HEAVY BURSTS OF RAIN. THE TWR ROOF HAS LEAKED AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN AT TULSA WHICH IS OVER 4 YRS. THIS TIME (3/SUN/90) WAS THE WORST I HAVE SEEN. BELOW, IS A LIST OF RESULTS OF THE ROOF LEAK I OBSERVED. 1) 2 OPERATING POSITIONS COVERED WITH PLASTIC SO WATER WON'T SHORT OUT COM PANELS -- THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WORK GND CTL FROM LCL W POSITION WHICH WE USE DURING OUR PEAK TFC PERIODS. AIR SAFETY IS NOW JEOPARDIZED BECAUSE ONE CTLR IS WORKING TWR TFC WHEN WE ALWAYS USE 2 CTLRS! 2) THE PLASTIC IS TAPED TO OUR S WINDOW AND WE CANNOT CLEARLY SEE 1/4 OF OUR MOVEMENT AREA (THIS INCLUDES THE AIR CARRIER TERMINAL) UNLESS WE STAND ON A CHAIR WHICH COULD CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY TO A CTLR. 3) WATER LEAKED INTO WINDOW DEFOGGER CAUSING SPARKING WHICH COULD LEAD TO A FIRE IN THE TWR. 4) THE CARPET IS SOAKED WHICH MEANS WE CTLRS ARE WALKING GND SOURCES FOR ANY STRAY POWER SOURCE WE COULD HAPPEN TO COME IN CONTACT WITH.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.