Narrative:

This has been an ongoing problem, which is now coming to a head. There are trees (on private property) that obscure the tower's vision of the left base and final to runway 30L. The trees that obscure the final to runway 4 are also now becoming a problem. Runway 30L is our primary and instrument runway. Overall we have all been working around this. However, when traffic is busy, no matter how hard the controller pays attention or scans or keeps track of traffic, it is impossible to run a continuously safe operation. The landing airplanes reappear from behind the trees no more than 100-200 ft above the landing threshold. On jun/xa/00 our runway 30R was closed and the traffic pattern for runway 30L was very busy. On 3 separate occasions that evening within about a 90 min period, I lost traffic behind the trees (that I knew were behind the trees) for long enough that I cleared other traffic for takeoff. One time the landing traffic popped out from behind the trees before I finished the takeoff clearance, and I was able to cancel the clearance. Another time, the departing airplane saw the landing airplane, held and advised me. Another time, the departing airplane took the runway, apparently without looking, and the landing airplane went around. The dbrite does not update fast enough nor does it track low enough to be able to tell where each airplane is in the final stages of landing. When it's extremely busy, the controllers are looking out the window and not at the dbrite, anyway. On another date, it happened again with a tampico in the pattern and an IFR seneca waiting to depart. The tampico flew a low and close base, invisible to the tower behind the trees, and the seneca pulled onto the runway after given takeoff clearance. The tampico popped out from behind the trees on short, short final and went around on his own. The information we get in the tower is that the homeowners will not allow topping of the trees without major reimbursement. The controllers have filed grievances and unsatisfactory condition reports and NASA reports. This complaint has been going on for yrs. Each yr the trees grow taller and fuller. Even in winter, we lost sight of traffic, and the situation is unworkable in the spring and summer with full foliage. The great lakes region has responded by ruling that we can no longer taxi aircraft into position and hold at the end of runway 30L, which only serves to cut our efficiency in running air traffic. This yr, trees around runway 4 have grown enough that traffic is lost behind the trees within the last 1/4 or 1/8 mi to the runway 4 landing threshold. 1/2 of the airport has signage in accordance with the aim, all directives, and requirements. 1/2 of the airport does not. Exiting runway 12L/30R there are no taxiway signs. East of taxiway G entering or exiting runway 30L/12R, there are homemade signs. Taxiway H is a particular problem, because from the parallel taxiway B it looks like 'H' goes through to the ramp, but it does not and stops at runway 12L/30R. Too many pilots turn on 'H' even though they've been given specific progressive taxi instructions. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter claimed that there is not enough room for their tower equipment. The reporter stated that a team from airways facilities came out to take pictures of the tower and that the tower has consistently made the list of towers to be replaced. Due to the inadequate ht of the tower and the tall trees, the controllers are unable to see the end of the primary runway (30L/12R). The reporter pointed out that the trees are not obstructions for the pilots. By the time an aircraft pops out from behind the trees, they are over the threshold. If an aircraft is in position on the threshold, the reporter believes controller does not have enough time to say 'go around.' the reporter stated that the neighborhood does not want the airport to be shut down, nor do they seem hostile to the operations there. The reporter does not know if airport management has approached the homeowners recently.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LCL CTLR AT CPW TWR, IL, RPTS THAT TALL TREES, LOCATED ON PVT PROPERTY, ARE OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW FROM THE TWR OF VFR TFC FOR RWYS 30L-12R AND RWY 4-22.

Narrative: THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROB, WHICH IS NOW COMING TO A HEAD. THERE ARE TREES (ON PVT PROPERTY) THAT OBSCURE THE TWR'S VISION OF THE L BASE AND FINAL TO RWY 30L. THE TREES THAT OBSCURE THE FINAL TO RWY 4 ARE ALSO NOW BECOMING A PROB. RWY 30L IS OUR PRIMARY AND INST RWY. OVERALL WE HAVE ALL BEEN WORKING AROUND THIS. HOWEVER, WHEN TFC IS BUSY, NO MATTER HOW HARD THE CTLR PAYS ATTN OR SCANS OR KEEPS TRACK OF TFC, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RUN A CONTINUOUSLY SAFE OP. THE LNDG AIRPLANES REAPPEAR FROM BEHIND THE TREES NO MORE THAN 100-200 FT ABOVE THE LNDG THRESHOLD. ON JUN/XA/00 OUR RWY 30R WAS CLOSED AND THE TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 30L WAS VERY BUSY. ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS THAT EVENING WITHIN ABOUT A 90 MIN PERIOD, I LOST TFC BEHIND THE TREES (THAT I KNEW WERE BEHIND THE TREES) FOR LONG ENOUGH THAT I CLRED OTHER TFC FOR TKOF. ONE TIME THE LNDG TFC POPPED OUT FROM BEHIND THE TREES BEFORE I FINISHED THE TKOF CLRNC, AND I WAS ABLE TO CANCEL THE CLRNC. ANOTHER TIME, THE DEPARTING AIRPLANE SAW THE LNDG AIRPLANE, HELD AND ADVISED ME. ANOTHER TIME, THE DEPARTING AIRPLANE TOOK THE RWY, APPARENTLY WITHOUT LOOKING, AND THE LNDG AIRPLANE WENT AROUND. THE DBRITE DOES NOT UPDATE FAST ENOUGH NOR DOES IT TRACK LOW ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO TELL WHERE EACH AIRPLANE IS IN THE FINAL STAGES OF LNDG. WHEN IT'S EXTREMELY BUSY, THE CTLRS ARE LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND NOT AT THE DBRITE, ANYWAY. ON ANOTHER DATE, IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITH A TAMPICO IN THE PATTERN AND AN IFR SENECA WAITING TO DEPART. THE TAMPICO FLEW A LOW AND CLOSE BASE, INVISIBLE TO THE TWR BEHIND THE TREES, AND THE SENECA PULLED ONTO THE RWY AFTER GIVEN TKOF CLRNC. THE TAMPICO POPPED OUT FROM BEHIND THE TREES ON SHORT, SHORT FINAL AND WENT AROUND ON HIS OWN. THE INFO WE GET IN THE TWR IS THAT THE HOMEOWNERS WILL NOT ALLOW TOPPING OF THE TREES WITHOUT MAJOR REIMBURSEMENT. THE CTLRS HAVE FILED GRIEVANCES AND UNSATISFACTORY CONDITION RPTS AND NASA RPTS. THIS COMPLAINT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YRS. EACH YR THE TREES GROW TALLER AND FULLER. EVEN IN WINTER, WE LOST SIGHT OF TFC, AND THE SIT IS UNWORKABLE IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER WITH FULL FOLIAGE. THE GREAT LAKES REGION HAS RESPONDED BY RULING THAT WE CAN NO LONGER TAXI ACFT INTO POS AND HOLD AT THE END OF RWY 30L, WHICH ONLY SERVES TO CUT OUR EFFICIENCY IN RUNNING AIR TFC. THIS YR, TREES AROUND RWY 4 HAVE GROWN ENOUGH THAT TFC IS LOST BEHIND THE TREES WITHIN THE LAST 1/4 OR 1/8 MI TO THE RWY 4 LNDG THRESHOLD. 1/2 OF THE ARPT HAS SIGNAGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AIM, ALL DIRECTIVES, AND REQUIREMENTS. 1/2 OF THE ARPT DOES NOT. EXITING RWY 12L/30R THERE ARE NO TXWY SIGNS. E OF TXWY G ENTERING OR EXITING RWY 30L/12R, THERE ARE HOMEMADE SIGNS. TXWY H IS A PARTICULAR PROB, BECAUSE FROM THE PARALLEL TXWY B IT LOOKS LIKE 'H' GOES THROUGH TO THE RAMP, BUT IT DOES NOT AND STOPS AT RWY 12L/30R. TOO MANY PLTS TURN ON 'H' EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN SPECIFIC PROGRESSIVE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR CLAIMED THAT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR THEIR TWR EQUIP. THE RPTR STATED THAT A TEAM FROM AIRWAYS FACILITIES CAME OUT TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE TWR AND THAT THE TWR HAS CONSISTENTLY MADE THE LIST OF TWRS TO BE REPLACED. DUE TO THE INADEQUATE HT OF THE TWR AND THE TALL TREES, THE CTLRS ARE UNABLE TO SEE THE END OF THE PRIMARY RWY (30L/12R). THE RPTR POINTED OUT THAT THE TREES ARE NOT OBSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PLTS. BY THE TIME AN ACFT POPS OUT FROM BEHIND THE TREES, THEY ARE OVER THE THRESHOLD. IF AN ACFT IS IN POS ON THE THRESHOLD, THE RPTR BELIEVES CTLR DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SAY 'GO AROUND.' THE RPTR STATED THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD DOES NOT WANT THE ARPT TO BE SHUT DOWN, NOR DO THEY SEEM HOSTILE TO THE OPS THERE. THE RPTR DOES NOT KNOW IF ARPT MGMNT HAS APCHED THE HOMEOWNERS RECENTLY.

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.