Narrative:

After being cleared for the ILS runway 33 at det and being handed over to tower we heard the controller asking an small aircraft if he had the small transport in sight (us). He said he did not. The controller asked him several times and the small aircraft pilot replied no each time. Finally the controller told him to 'turn base now.' several seconds later I saw the small aircraft very close on a collision course with us. I turned to the right off the localizer to miss him. In talking to the controller later I found he was the supervisor on duty (blind leading the blind). He indicated to me that he was using his scope to call the base turn and that the small aircraft was 'hard to locate on it because of his size.' I asked why he had not issued traffic to us and was told that that was not necessary! The next day I talked to the facility manager and found that the scope was not certified. She was not at all helpful and was interested only in covering for the controller. She would not allow us to listen to the tapes and was going to make sure they were destroyed before anyone heard them. The level of or lack of professionalism at the det city airport will someday kill someone.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWR CTLR TOLD AN SMA TO TURN BASE LEG WHICH PUT THE ACFT IN CONFLICT WITH AN ACFT ON STRAIGHT IN ILS APCH.

Narrative: AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 33 AT DET AND BEING HANDED OVER TO TWR WE HEARD THE CTLR ASKING AN SMA IF HE HAD THE SMT IN SIGHT (US). HE SAID HE DID NOT. THE CTLR ASKED HIM SEVERAL TIMES AND THE SMA PLT REPLIED NO EACH TIME. FINALLY THE CTLR TOLD HIM TO 'TURN BASE NOW.' SEVERAL SECS LATER I SAW THE SMA VERY CLOSE ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH US. I TURNED TO THE RIGHT OFF THE LOC TO MISS HIM. IN TALKING TO THE CTLR LATER I FOUND HE WAS THE SUPVR ON DUTY (BLIND LEADING THE BLIND). HE INDICATED TO ME THAT HE WAS USING HIS SCOPE TO CALL THE BASE TURN AND THAT THE SMA WAS 'HARD TO LOCATE ON IT BECAUSE OF HIS SIZE.' I ASKED WHY HE HAD NOT ISSUED TFC TO US AND WAS TOLD THAT THAT WAS NOT NECESSARY! THE NEXT DAY I TALKED TO THE FAC MGR AND FOUND THAT THE SCOPE WAS NOT CERTIFIED. SHE WAS NOT AT ALL HELPFUL AND WAS INTERESTED ONLY IN COVERING FOR THE CTLR. SHE WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO LISTEN TO THE TAPES AND WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE DESTROYED BEFORE ANYONE HEARD THEM. THE LEVEL OF OR LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM AT THE DET CITY ARPT WILL SOMEDAY KILL SOMEONE.

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.