Narrative:

During the shift, unidentified noxious fumes filled the tower cabin attendant causing controled to experience heaviness and burning sensation in the chest, difficulty in breathing, and irritation of eyes. Controllers utilized emergency breathing apparatus and evacuate/evacuationed to ground floor with battery pwred VHF/UHF radios. Backup radios failed, making communications with aircraft impossible. A VHF tunable transceiver was located, operated via extension cord while controllers worked traffic from the catwalk. No UHF backup worked, and military traffic was forced to taxi and depart without communication until airborne and controled by departure control. Taxi and takeoff of military aircraft was via hand signals. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated the fumes were coming from the air conditioning system. The emergency gonset transceivers failed after 15 mins because the batteries failed. Transceivers still did not work after being plugged into commercial power. Facility management has maintenance working on the problem and a ucr has been filed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWR WAS ABANDONED BECAUSE OF FUMES. EMER TRANSCEIVERS FAILED WHEN BATTERY PWR RAN OUT.

Narrative: DURING THE SHIFT, UNIDENTIFIED NOXIOUS FUMES FILLED THE TWR CAB CAUSING CTLED TO EXPERIENCE HEAVINESS AND BURNING SENSATION IN THE CHEST, DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING, AND IRRITATION OF EYES. CTLRS UTILIZED EMER BREATHING APPARATUS AND EVACED TO GND FLOOR WITH BATTERY PWRED VHF/UHF RADIOS. BACKUP RADIOS FAILED, MAKING COMS WITH ACFT IMPOSSIBLE. A VHF TUNABLE TRANSCEIVER WAS LOCATED, OPERATED VIA EXTENSION CORD WHILE CTLRS WORKED TFC FROM THE CATWALK. NO UHF BACKUP WORKED, AND MIL TFC WAS FORCED TO TAXI AND DEPART WITHOUT COM UNTIL AIRBORNE AND CTLED BY DEP CTL. TAXI AND TKOF OF MIL ACFT WAS VIA HAND SIGNALS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE FUMES WERE COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING SYS. THE EMER GONSET TRANSCEIVERS FAILED AFTER 15 MINS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES FAILED. TRANSCEIVERS STILL DID NOT WORK AFTER BEING PLUGGED INTO COMMERCIAL PWR. FACILITY MGMNT HAS MAINT WORKING ON THE PROB AND A UCR HAS BEEN FILED.

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.