Narrative:

At the moment I am decertified pending an investigation for landing a commuter on a closed runway. It seems a series of incomplete communications/coords between controllers has me in the hot seat. At the start of this day shift, the WX was fluctuating above and below minimums. I remember something like w0x1/4F. I was on local control. I couldn't see out the windows and was depending on a very unreliable asde, concentrating heavily on the BRITE asde. Ny TRACON was not accepting departures as inbound aircraft were spinning everywhere. TRACON called on the appropriate coordination line and aircraft had a fuel emergency--a widebody transport with 30 mins fuel remaining. Subsequently, an alert level ii was initiated. Equipment was standing by as a precaution. With air carrier X now on the ILS, the TRACON position working final overrode my position directly and said, 'I have a fuel situation here--air carrier Y light transport has 5 mins fuel remaining.' then the rest was unintelligible due to overlapping communications. I asked the controller to call on the coordination line, so my assistant could work on it. TRACON sequenced air carrier Y behind air carrier X with air carrier X on the ground and well clear of the runway. Air carrier Y was now somewhere between 200-100' mode C on the G/south. At this point my local control assistant turned to me and said to send air carrier Y around. Not given a reason, I replied I could not account low fuel. Again I was told to send air carrier Y around. At this point I complied. The pilot's response was 'negative, negative' (probably on deck), and landed. The actual status of air carrier Y was 5 mins fuel until have to divert to his alternate. Although assistant local may have told or tried to tell me this, I never got it. The emergency equipment only knew about air carrier X, and according to a LOA, the runway closed when air carrier X touched down. I believed I had back-to-back emergencys, but did not. Therefore, I cleared air carrier Y to land on a closed runway. Runway was clear, but closed. My assistant at some point assumed controller in charge duties, as the supervisor was working with a developmental ground controller. Staffing was thin, the level of noise high, and it felt like chaos to me for a period before and after this incident. It seems to me a breakdown in the chain of communication occurred, because I obviously lacked essential information. I believe if we had more controllers staffed that day, workload would have been reduced all the way around the cabin, and that probably would have made a different. When I was told to send air carrier Y around, it made me think of the low fuel crash earlier this yr.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR Y CLEARED TO LAND ON CLOSED RWY. SYSTEM ERROR.

Narrative: AT THE MOMENT I AM DECERTIFIED PENDING AN INVESTIGATION FOR LNDG A COMMUTER ON A CLOSED RWY. IT SEEMS A SERIES OF INCOMPLETE COMS/COORDS BTWN CTLRS HAS ME IN THE HOT SEAT. AT THE START OF THIS DAY SHIFT, THE WX WAS FLUCTUATING ABOVE AND BELOW MINIMUMS. I REMEMBER SOMETHING LIKE W0X1/4F. I WAS ON LCL CTL. I COULDN'T SEE OUT THE WINDOWS AND WAS DEPENDING ON A VERY UNRELIABLE ASDE, CONCENTRATING HEAVILY ON THE BRITE ASDE. NY TRACON WAS NOT ACCEPTING DEPS AS INBND ACFT WERE SPINNING EVERYWHERE. TRACON CALLED ON THE APPROPRIATE COORD LINE AND ACFT HAD A FUEL EMER--A WDB WITH 30 MINS FUEL REMAINING. SUBSEQUENTLY, AN ALERT LEVEL II WAS INITIATED. EQUIP WAS STANDING BY AS A PRECAUTION. WITH ACR X NOW ON THE ILS, THE TRACON POS WORKING FINAL OVERRODE MY POS DIRECTLY AND SAID, 'I HAVE A FUEL SITUATION HERE--ACR Y LTT HAS 5 MINS FUEL REMAINING.' THEN THE REST WAS UNINTELLIGIBLE DUE TO OVERLAPPING COMS. I ASKED THE CTLR TO CALL ON THE COORD LINE, SO MY ASSISTANT COULD WORK ON IT. TRACON SEQUENCED ACR Y BEHIND ACR X WITH ACR X ON THE GND AND WELL CLR OF THE RWY. ACR Y WAS NOW SOMEWHERE BTWN 200-100' MODE C ON THE G/S. AT THIS POINT MY LCL CTL ASSISTANT TURNED TO ME AND SAID TO SEND ACR Y AROUND. NOT GIVEN A REASON, I REPLIED I COULD NOT ACCOUNT LOW FUEL. AGAIN I WAS TOLD TO SEND ACR Y AROUND. AT THIS POINT I COMPLIED. THE PLT'S RESPONSE WAS 'NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE' (PROBABLY ON DECK), AND LANDED. THE ACTUAL STATUS OF ACR Y WAS 5 MINS FUEL UNTIL HAVE TO DIVERT TO HIS ALTERNATE. ALTHOUGH ASSISTANT LCL MAY HAVE TOLD OR TRIED TO TELL ME THIS, I NEVER GOT IT. THE EMER EQUIP ONLY KNEW ABOUT ACR X, AND ACCORDING TO A LOA, THE RWY CLOSED WHEN ACR X TOUCHED DOWN. I BELIEVED I HAD BACK-TO-BACK EMERS, BUT DID NOT. THEREFORE, I CLRED ACR Y TO LAND ON A CLOSED RWY. RWY WAS CLR, BUT CLOSED. MY ASSISTANT AT SOME POINT ASSUMED CIC DUTIES, AS THE SUPVR WAS WORKING WITH A DEVELOPMENTAL GND CTLR. STAFFING WAS THIN, THE LEVEL OF NOISE HIGH, AND IT FELT LIKE CHAOS TO ME FOR A PERIOD BEFORE AND AFTER THIS INCIDENT. IT SEEMS TO ME A BREAKDOWN IN THE CHAIN OF COM OCCURRED, BECAUSE I OBVIOUSLY LACKED ESSENTIAL INFO. I BELIEVE IF WE HAD MORE CTLRS STAFFED THAT DAY, WORKLOAD WOULD HAVE BEEN REDUCED ALL THE WAY AROUND THE CABIN, AND THAT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENT. WHEN I WAS TOLD TO SEND ACR Y AROUND, IT MADE ME THINK OF THE LOW FUEL CRASH EARLIER THIS YR.

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.