Narrative:

I was working local control in miami tower. We had just combined the local control position, after a very hectic arrival and departure push combined. Air carrier X, an SF34, was on final for runway 9R but was following traffic fairly closely and I was concerned about a need for a go around as a result. I had no one inbound to runway 9L, so I offered air carrier X landing on runway 9L, which he accepted. I cleared air carrier Y into position and hold on runway 9L, waiting for traffic to clear downfield. I believe I exchanged traffic, but I'm not positive. Even though the tower traffic had subsided dramatically, ground control was having a tough time due to repositioning aircraft and a foreign air carrier who pulled into the wrong gate, then pushed or powered back onto the taxiway without clearance and ended up nose to nose with incoming traffic. The ground controller was becoming somewhat upset by his situation and was expressing his frustration fairly loudly, which was distracting. I cleared 2 air carrier airlines arrs to cross runway 12, and as the first one entered the runway he informed me his gate was occupied. I asked the second one about his, and it, too, was occupied. I then gave them both alternate instructions, so as not to compound the ground controller's problems. I then directed my attention back to runway 9L and noticed that air carrier X was already on short final to runway 9L with air carrier Y still in position on the runway. I quickly scanned runway 12 to see if the jet had cleared yet (he hadn't) so I could offer runway 12 to air carrier X. About this time air carrier X asked if there was someone on the runway. I answered affirmative and instructed him to go around. Instead of turning to the 060 degree heading I gave him, he overflew air carrier Y and waited until the other end of the runway to turn. This could have been very bad if I hadn't turned to see it when I did and air carrier X also didn't see it. The #1 cause, was my allowing myself to get distracted by ground control's problems and diverting too much attention to trying to help him. Contributing was the ground controller allowing his frustration to be displayed so loudly. Also contributing was air carrier's routine habit of scheduling their flts in such a manner that they don't have available gates for arrs, tying up txwys while they wait, thereby compounding controller workload. Supplemental information from acn 357619: air carrier Y was cleared into position runway 9L at mia. Air carrier X as cleared to land on runway 9L at mia. Air carrier X was not advised of aircraft in position. Mia tower started talking to another aircraft about a gate problem. Air carrier X asked mia tower if an aircraft was on the runway. Mia tower reply was 'air carrier X go around.' it appears that mia tower did not follow established procedures for aircraft in position at night with an aircraft on final. Tower also started working a ground control problem and forgot about us. Good visual pickup by air carrier X prevented accident.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CTLR CLRED A DC9 INTO POS AND HOLD THEN CLRED A SF34 TO LAND ON THE SAME RWY. THE CTLR INTENDED TO CLR THE DC9 FOR TKOF WHEN THE RWY WAS CLR, BUT BECAME DISTRACTED BY THE GND CTLR AND TFC LEAVING THE RWY. A GAR WAS ISSUED WHEN THE CTLR OBSERVED THE SF34 ON SHORT FINAL AND ISSUED ALTERNATE INSTRUCTIONS. THE SF34 FLEW OVER THE DC9 IN POS.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING LCL CTL IN MIAMI TWR. WE HAD JUST COMBINED THE LCL CTL POS, AFTER A VERY HECTIC ARR AND DEP PUSH COMBINED. ACR X, AN SF34, WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 9R BUT WAS FOLLOWING TFC FAIRLY CLOSELY AND I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT A NEED FOR A GAR AS A RESULT. I HAD NO ONE INBOUND TO RWY 9L, SO I OFFERED ACR X LNDG ON RWY 9L, WHICH HE ACCEPTED. I CLRED ACR Y INTO POS AND HOLD ON RWY 9L, WAITING FOR TFC TO CLR DOWNFIELD. I BELIEVE I EXCHANGED TFC, BUT I'M NOT POSITIVE. EVEN THOUGH THE TWR TFC HAD SUBSIDED DRAMATICALLY, GND CTL WAS HAVING A TOUGH TIME DUE TO REPOSITIONING ACFT AND A FOREIGN ACR WHO PULLED INTO THE WRONG GATE, THEN PUSHED OR POWERED BACK ONTO THE TXWY WITHOUT CLRNC AND ENDED UP NOSE TO NOSE WITH INCOMING TFC. THE GND CTLR WAS BECOMING SOMEWHAT UPSET BY HIS SIT AND WAS EXPRESSING HIS FRUSTRATION FAIRLY LOUDLY, WHICH WAS DISTRACTING. I CLRED 2 ACR AIRLINES ARRS TO CROSS RWY 12, AND AS THE FIRST ONE ENTERED THE RWY HE INFORMED ME HIS GATE WAS OCCUPIED. I ASKED THE SECOND ONE ABOUT HIS, AND IT, TOO, WAS OCCUPIED. I THEN GAVE THEM BOTH ALTERNATE INSTRUCTIONS, SO AS NOT TO COMPOUND THE GND CTLR'S PROBS. I THEN DIRECTED MY ATTN BACK TO RWY 9L AND NOTICED THAT ACR X WAS ALREADY ON SHORT FINAL TO RWY 9L WITH ACR Y STILL IN POS ON THE RWY. I QUICKLY SCANNED RWY 12 TO SEE IF THE JET HAD CLRED YET (HE HADN'T) SO I COULD OFFER RWY 12 TO ACR X. ABOUT THIS TIME ACR X ASKED IF THERE WAS SOMEONE ON THE RWY. I ANSWERED AFFIRMATIVE AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO GAR. INSTEAD OF TURNING TO THE 060 DEG HDG I GAVE HIM, HE OVERFLEW ACR Y AND WAITED UNTIL THE OTHER END OF THE RWY TO TURN. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD IF I HADN'T TURNED TO SEE IT WHEN I DID AND ACR X ALSO DIDN'T SEE IT. THE #1 CAUSE, WAS MY ALLOWING MYSELF TO GET DISTRACTED BY GND CTL'S PROBS AND DIVERTING TOO MUCH ATTN TO TRYING TO HELP HIM. CONTRIBUTING WAS THE GND CTLR ALLOWING HIS FRUSTRATION TO BE DISPLAYED SO LOUDLY. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS ACR's ROUTINE HABIT OF SCHEDULING THEIR FLTS IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THEY DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE GATES FOR ARRS, TYING UP TXWYS WHILE THEY WAIT, THEREBY COMPOUNDING CTLR WORKLOAD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 357619: ACR Y WAS CLRED INTO POS RWY 9L AT MIA. ACR X AS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 9L AT MIA. ACR X WAS NOT ADVISED OF ACFT IN POS. MIA TWR STARTED TALKING TO ANOTHER ACFT ABOUT A GATE PROB. ACR X ASKED MIA TWR IF AN ACFT WAS ON THE RWY. MIA TWR REPLY WAS 'ACR X GAR.' IT APPEARS THAT MIA TWR DID NOT FOLLOW ESTABLISHED PROCS FOR ACFT IN POS AT NIGHT WITH AN ACFT ON FINAL. TWR ALSO STARTED WORKING A GND CTL PROB AND FORGOT ABOUT US. GOOD VISUAL PICKUP BY ACR X PREVENTED ACCIDENT.

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.