Narrative:

On numerous occasions, any time, aircraft will report 121.1 main transmitter 'weak, garbled and/or unreadable.' sometimes switching to backup will rectify the problem temporarily. However, permanent fixes, such as 'changing the card' or replacing the entire icss console completely only serve as an immediate yet temporary solution. The electrical and communication wiring in the tower has been found to be substandard in that there is ineffective grounding. This problem has been known and reported to FAA management in both the air traffic and airways facilities division at allegheny tower. It has been common knowledge for at least 6 months. In addition to the interruption of air traffic services due to communication failure/breakdown, electrical 'arcs' have been observed and reported to air traffic management and county operations. These 'arcs' have occurred on lighting panels located on the tower console. The location of the lighting panels are immediate to the FAA communication equipment. Wiring, including power, share joint access from below the tower cabin attendant into the console area. Inspection of tower lighting panels by county electrical personnel also revealed and confirmed a grounding deficiency. Therefore, I feel that until the grounding is corrected and/or power and communications wiring is replaced, the safety of air traffic personnel, due to possible electrical shock, and air traffic service interruption, due to communication failure, is at an unacceptable high risk. All of this in full knowledge of air traffic management, airways facilities management, and county airport management. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the tower is very old and over the past 8 yrs electrical and electronic equipment has been added and connected to old wiring which in some cases is not grounded. Some of the equipment in the tower belongs to the airport, such as lighting controls and some equipment is FAA owned. Both radio and radar outages occur frequently. Maintenance problems are rarely solved by the technicians. When something is fixed, controllers view the repair as temporary. At the present time an evaluation team from the FAA regional office is looking at the overall problem. The team allegedly acknowledge there is a problem and have stated it will take up to 18 months to fix. The tower constantly receives complaints from pilots and several ucr's filed by controllers has failed to get results.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATCT CTLR AT AGC STATES RADIO FREQS AND LANDLINES ARE FREQUENTLY UNUSABLE, UNREADABLE OR GARBLED.

Narrative: ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, ANY TIME, ACFT WILL RPT 121.1 MAIN XMITTER 'WEAK, GARBLED AND/OR UNREADABLE.' SOMETIMES SWITCHING TO BACKUP WILL RECTIFY THE PROB TEMPORARILY. HOWEVER, PERMANENT FIXES, SUCH AS 'CHANGING THE CARD' OR REPLACING THE ENTIRE ICSS CONSOLE COMPLETELY ONLY SERVE AS AN IMMEDIATE YET TEMPORARY SOLUTION. THE ELECTRICAL AND COM WIRING IN THE TWR HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE SUBSTANDARD IN THAT THERE IS INEFFECTIVE GNDING. THIS PROB HAS BEEN KNOWN AND RPTED TO FAA MGMNT IN BOTH THE AIR TFC AND AIRWAYS FACILITIES DIVISION AT ALLEGHENY TWR. IT HAS BEEN COMMON KNOWLEDGE FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. IN ADDITION TO THE INTERRUPTION OF AIR TFC SVCS DUE TO COM FAILURE/BREAKDOWN, ELECTRICAL 'ARCS' HAVE BEEN OBSERVED AND RPTED TO AIR TFC MGMNT AND COUNTY OPS. THESE 'ARCS' HAVE OCCURRED ON LIGHTING PANELS LOCATED ON THE TWR CONSOLE. THE LOCATION OF THE LIGHTING PANELS ARE IMMEDIATE TO THE FAA COM EQUIP. WIRING, INCLUDING PWR, SHARE JOINT ACCESS FROM BELOW THE TWR CAB INTO THE CONSOLE AREA. INSPECTION OF TWR LIGHTING PANELS BY COUNTY ELECTRICAL PERSONNEL ALSO REVEALED AND CONFIRMED A GNDING DEFICIENCY. THEREFORE, I FEEL THAT UNTIL THE GNDING IS CORRECTED AND/OR PWR AND COMS WIRING IS REPLACED, THE SAFETY OF AIR TFC PERSONNEL, DUE TO POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL SHOCK, AND AIR TFC SVC INTERRUPTION, DUE TO COM FAILURE, IS AT AN UNACCEPTABLE HIGH RISK. ALL OF THIS IN FULL KNOWLEDGE OF AIR TFC MGMNT, AIRWAYS FACILITIES MGMNT, AND COUNTY ARPT MGMNT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE TWR IS VERY OLD AND OVER THE PAST 8 YRS ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIP HAS BEEN ADDED AND CONNECTED TO OLD WIRING WHICH IN SOME CASES IS NOT GNDED. SOME OF THE EQUIP IN THE TWR BELONGS TO THE ARPT, SUCH AS LIGHTING CTLS AND SOME EQUIP IS FAA OWNED. BOTH RADIO AND RADAR OUTAGES OCCUR FREQUENTLY. MAINT PROBS ARE RARELY SOLVED BY THE TECHNICIANS. WHEN SOMETHING IS FIXED, CTLRS VIEW THE REPAIR AS TEMPORARY. AT THE PRESENT TIME AN EVALUATION TEAM FROM THE FAA REGIONAL OFFICE IS LOOKING AT THE OVERALL PROB. THE TEAM ALLEGEDLY ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROB AND HAVE STATED IT WILL TAKE UP TO 18 MONTHS TO FIX. THE TWR CONSTANTLY RECEIVES COMPLAINTS FROM PLTS AND SEVERAL UCR'S FILED BY CTLRS HAS FAILED TO GET RESULTS.

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.