Narrative:

During the late night, early morning hours, dfw airport tower is severely undermanned. This trip was a simple las turn around. On departing dfw, we were told to 'taxi into position and hold 17R, traffic 3 1/2 mi final.' since she was tower east and west as well as ground east and west, she was obviously distracted. By the time she cleared us for takeoff, the heavy aircraft on final took his own go around. On returning back to dfw, the poor approach controller was so busy he didn't have time to pass to us the wind shear alert information, nor did he hand us off to tower. We did that ourselves after the OM. Once up on tower frequency we could barely get a word in because the tower controller was so busy with ground and tower for the entire airport. We were finally cleared to land and given the center filed and northeast boundary winds. They were illegal for landing, 010 degrees at 14 KTS. We tried to get him to repeat but he was too busy. We executed a go around. Then they started landing to the north. (Heavy storms to the north) after we landed, we saw 5 aircraft go missed for 80 KT windshears at 1000 ft and some for windshear in the flare. All had moderate turbulence. If we had not gone around, precipitating the controller's to land north, would those aircraft have been on final with those windshears decreasing performance instead of increasing performance? Probably! Dfw airport control tower has cut back too far.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT RPTR CLAIMS THAT ATC FACILITY IS UNDERSTAFFED RESULTING IN POS BEING COMBINED AND CTLRS BEHIND THE PWR CURVE.

Narrative: DURING THE LATE NIGHT, EARLY MORNING HRS, DFW ARPT TWR IS SEVERELY UNDERMANNED. THIS TRIP WAS A SIMPLE LAS TURN AROUND. ON DEPARTING DFW, WE WERE TOLD TO 'TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD 17R, TFC 3 1/2 MI FINAL.' SINCE SHE WAS TWR E AND W AS WELL AS GND E AND W, SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY DISTRACTED. BY THE TIME SHE CLRED US FOR TKOF, THE HVY ACFT ON FINAL TOOK HIS OWN GAR. ON RETURNING BACK TO DFW, THE POOR APCH CTLR WAS SO BUSY HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO PASS TO US THE WIND SHEAR ALERT INFO, NOR DID HE HAND US OFF TO TWR. WE DID THAT OURSELVES AFTER THE OM. ONCE UP ON TWR FREQ WE COULD BARELY GET A WORD IN BECAUSE THE TWR CTLR WAS SO BUSY WITH GND AND TWR FOR THE ENTIRE ARPT. WE WERE FINALLY CLRED TO LAND AND GIVEN THE CTR FILED AND NE BOUNDARY WINDS. THEY WERE ILLEGAL FOR LNDG, 010 DEGS AT 14 KTS. WE TRIED TO GET HIM TO REPEAT BUT HE WAS TOO BUSY. WE EXECUTED A GAR. THEN THEY STARTED LNDG TO THE N. (HVY STORMS TO THE N) AFTER WE LANDED, WE SAW 5 ACFT GO MISSED FOR 80 KT WINDSHEARS AT 1000 FT AND SOME FOR WINDSHEAR IN THE FLARE. ALL HAD MODERATE TURB. IF WE HAD NOT GONE AROUND, PRECIPITATING THE CTLR'S TO LAND N, WOULD THOSE ACFT HAVE BEEN ON FINAL WITH THOSE WINDSHEARS DECREASING PERFORMANCE INSTEAD OF INCREASING PERFORMANCE? PROBABLY! DFW ARPT CTL TWR HAS CUT BACK TOO FAR.

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.