Narrative:

At XX00 local, prc tower closes. Prc FSS assumes local advisory service. During this time the FSS specialist congested the tower frequency with wind reports and the favored runway after every position report made by the traffic. There were only 2 aircraft on the frequency, making position reports, approximately every min. With the specialist 'on the air' it sounded like 8 aircraft in the pattern. When other aircraft would call up FSS on other FSS frequencys, he would remain, 'plugged in' to local tower frequency, preventing us from making position reports or possibly resolving possible conflicts. My understanding of the local airport advisory service is that it will provide an airport advisory on request only. In this case, his overexuberance could possibly prevent pilots from making crucial position reports, avoiding each other, or working out landing priorities themselves. Also, the FSS specialist would solicit reports from us, and the other aircraft -- such as reporting clear of the runway, intxns, on the practice ILS approach, and legs in the pattern. This seemed to be an attempt to control the traffic, and only jammed the frequency even more. A suggestion to alleviate this problem would be to standardize and reinforce the FSS role in airport operations when the control tower closes. A local airport advisory is a valuable service to arriving aircraft, but in the case of 2 or 3 aircraft already operating there, it may only need be repeated once, then those pilots can be left alone to work things out themselves.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT CLAIMS THAT PRC FSS IS OVEREXUBERANT WHEN SOLICITING ACFT POS RPTS WHEN ASSUMING LCL ADVISORY SVC AFTER ATCT CLOSES. RPTR STATES THAT THIS TIES UP THE FREQ.

Narrative: AT XX00 LCL, PRC TWR CLOSES. PRC FSS ASSUMES LCL ADVISORY SVC. DURING THIS TIME THE FSS SPECIALIST CONGESTED THE TWR FREQ WITH WIND RPTS AND THE FAVORED RWY AFTER EVERY POS RPT MADE BY THE TFC. THERE WERE ONLY 2 ACFT ON THE FREQ, MAKING POS RPTS, APPROX EVERY MIN. WITH THE SPECIALIST 'ON THE AIR' IT SOUNDED LIKE 8 ACFT IN THE PATTERN. WHEN OTHER ACFT WOULD CALL UP FSS ON OTHER FSS FREQS, HE WOULD REMAIN, 'PLUGGED IN' TO LCL TWR FREQ, PREVENTING US FROM MAKING POS RPTS OR POSSIBLY RESOLVING POSSIBLE CONFLICTS. MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE LCL ARPT ADVISORY SVC IS THAT IT WILL PROVIDE AN ARPT ADVISORY ON REQUEST ONLY. IN THIS CASE, HIS OVEREXUBERANCE COULD POSSIBLY PREVENT PLTS FROM MAKING CRUCIAL POS RPTS, AVOIDING EACH OTHER, OR WORKING OUT LNDG PRIORITIES THEMSELVES. ALSO, THE FSS SPECIALIST WOULD SOLICIT RPTS FROM US, AND THE OTHER ACFT -- SUCH AS RPTING CLR OF THE RWY, INTXNS, ON THE PRACTICE ILS APCH, AND LEGS IN THE PATTERN. THIS SEEMED TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO CTL THE TFC, AND ONLY JAMMED THE FREQ EVEN MORE. A SUGGESTION TO ALLEVIATE THIS PROB WOULD BE TO STANDARDIZE AND REINFORCE THE FSS ROLE IN ARPT OPS WHEN THE CTL TWR CLOSES. A LCL ARPT ADVISORY IS A VALUABLE SVC TO ARRIVING ACFT, BUT IN THE CASE OF 2 OR 3 ACFT ALREADY OPERATING THERE, IT MAY ONLY NEED BE REPEATED ONCE, THEN THOSE PLTS CAN BE LEFT ALONE TO WORK THINGS OUT THEMSELVES.

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.