Narrative:

I was being trained on local control. Runway 27 was active and busy. Small aircraft X called southwest of the airport and I told him to report entering left base runway 31. When he reported, I asked the ground controller for runway 31 and it was approved. I cleared small aircraft X to land on runway 31 and hold short of runway 27 for landing traffic. An small aircraft was on an overhead approach runway 27 with a right break and also cleared to land. About this time the ground controller asked to cross runway 27, but because I was busy I did not catch what was crossing or at which point and I ignored her. As the small aircraft was rolling out, I noticed a fuel truck at the intersection where the aircraft normally turned off, so I told the small aircraft to continue down the runway to the next crossover. The ground controller apparently thought I nodded my head to her request and since I didn't turn the aircraft because of the truck, the crossing was approved. The fuel truck crossed runway 27 and proceeded onto runway 13-31 (the only way it could go, see diagram). The ground controller looked at the local control position to say the truck was clear of runway 27 and noticed small aircraft X on short final for runway 31. She quickly told the fuel truck to clear into the grass. The truck complied and was clear of runway 31 before the small aircraft X crossed the threshold. Neither my trainer nor I told ground control to cross runway 27. The ground controller never should have crossed an active runway without a specific instruction from the local controller, 'cross runway 27 with a fuel truck at 31.' runway 31 was also active but the ground controller forgot she had given it to local control. Extenuating circumstance: the ground controller was on a 'quick turn' and had worked the night before, drove home, got to bed late, and returned for morning shift. Supplemental information from acn 190606. Runways 27 and 18 were in use. I was working ground control. Traffic volume at local was heavy with training in progress. Local coordination a landing for runway 31. A fuel truck called from the north side midfield wishing to go to an area adjacent the approach end of runway 31. I held the fuel truck short of runway 27 at the north tees. The approach end of runway 13 is directly south of runway 27 at that point. I coordination with local to cross runway 27 at the north tees after an small aircraft landing runway 27. The fuel truck would proceed southeast on runway 14. The trainee working local looked at the situation and cautiously said 'yeah'. She was very busy. Local took the small aircraft past the midfield point and taxied an aircraft into position and hold. I crossed the fuel truck. I looked about the airport and observed small aircraft X on a 1/2 mi final. I told the truck to clear into the grass. The fuel truck asked me to say again. Again I told the fuel truck to clear in the grass. I observed the truck in the grass as small aircraft X crossed the threshold. Both local and I forgot about the runway 31 operation. The use of a third runway not aligned with the wind during busy traffic contributed to the situation. In an effort to quickly serve the users I accepted shortened coordination. Next time aircraft and vehs will wait a bit longer until I obtain positive definite coordination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA X POTENTIAL LTSS FROM FUEL TRUCK ON ACTIVE RWY. POTENTIAL SYS ERROR. IMPROPER ATCT INTRAFAC COORD BTWN GND LCL CTL.

Narrative: I WAS BEING TRAINED ON LCL CTL. RWY 27 WAS ACTIVE AND BUSY. SMA X CALLED SW OF THE ARPT AND I TOLD HIM TO RPT ENTERING L BASE RWY 31. WHEN HE RPTED, I ASKED THE GND CTLR FOR RWY 31 AND IT WAS APPROVED. I CLRED SMA X TO LAND ON RWY 31 AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 27 FOR LNDG TFC. AN SMA WAS ON AN OVERHEAD APCH RWY 27 WITH A R BREAK AND ALSO CLRED TO LAND. ABOUT THIS TIME THE GND CTLR ASKED TO CROSS RWY 27, BUT BECAUSE I WAS BUSY I DID NOT CATCH WHAT WAS XING OR AT WHICH POINT AND I IGNORED HER. AS THE SMA WAS ROLLING OUT, I NOTICED A FUEL TRUCK AT THE INTXN WHERE THE ACFT NORMALLY TURNED OFF, SO I TOLD THE SMA TO CONTINUE DOWN THE RWY TO THE NEXT CROSSOVER. THE GND CTLR APPARENTLY THOUGHT I NODDED MY HEAD TO HER REQUEST AND SINCE I DIDN'T TURN THE ACFT BECAUSE OF THE TRUCK, THE XING WAS APPROVED. THE FUEL TRUCK CROSSED RWY 27 AND PROCEEDED ONTO RWY 13-31 (THE ONLY WAY IT COULD GO, SEE DIAGRAM). THE GND CTLR LOOKED AT THE LCL CTL POS TO SAY THE TRUCK WAS CLR OF RWY 27 AND NOTICED SMA X ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 31. SHE QUICKLY TOLD THE FUEL TRUCK TO CLR INTO THE GRASS. THE TRUCK COMPLIED AND WAS CLR OF RWY 31 BEFORE THE SMA X CROSSED THE THRESHOLD. NEITHER MY TRAINER NOR I TOLD GND CTL TO CROSS RWY 27. THE GND CTLR NEVER SHOULD HAVE CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT A SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION FROM THE LCL CTLR, 'CROSS RWY 27 WITH A FUEL TRUCK AT 31.' RWY 31 WAS ALSO ACTIVE BUT THE GND CTLR FORGOT SHE HAD GIVEN IT TO LC. EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCE: THE GND CTLR WAS ON A 'QUICK TURN' AND HAD WORKED THE NIGHT BEFORE, DROVE HOME, GOT TO BED LATE, AND RETURNED FOR MORNING SHIFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 190606. RWYS 27 AND 18 WERE IN USE. I WAS WORKING GND CTL. TFC VOLUME AT LCL WAS HVY WITH TRAINING IN PROGRESS. LCL COORD A LNDG FOR RWY 31. A FUEL TRUCK CALLED FROM THE N SIDE MIDFIELD WISHING TO GO TO AN AREA ADJACENT THE APCH END OF RWY 31. I HELD THE FUEL TRUCK SHORT OF RWY 27 AT THE N TEES. THE APCH END OF RWY 13 IS DIRECTLY S OF RWY 27 AT THAT POINT. I COORD WITH LCL TO CROSS RWY 27 AT THE N TEES AFTER AN SMA LNDG RWY 27. THE FUEL TRUCK WOULD PROCEED SE ON RWY 14. THE TRAINEE WORKING LCL LOOKED AT THE SITUATION AND CAUTIOUSLY SAID 'YEAH'. SHE WAS VERY BUSY. LCL TOOK THE SMA PAST THE MIDFIELD POINT AND TAXIED AN ACFT INTO POS AND HOLD. I CROSSED THE FUEL TRUCK. I LOOKED ABOUT THE ARPT AND OBSERVED SMA X ON A 1/2 MI FINAL. I TOLD THE TRUCK TO CLR INTO THE GRASS. THE FUEL TRUCK ASKED ME TO SAY AGAIN. AGAIN I TOLD THE FUEL TRUCK TO CLR IN THE GRASS. I OBSERVED THE TRUCK IN THE GRASS AS SMA X CROSSED THE THRESHOLD. BOTH LCL AND I FORGOT ABOUT THE RWY 31 OP. THE USE OF A THIRD RWY NOT ALIGNED WITH THE WIND DURING BUSY TFC CONTRIBUTED TO THE SITUATION. IN AN EFFORT TO QUICKLY SERVE THE USERS I ACCEPTED SHORTENED COORD. NEXT TIME ACFT AND VEHS WILL WAIT A BIT LONGER UNTIL I OBTAIN POSITIVE DEFINITE COORD.

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.