Narrative:

On jun/fri/05 at approximately XA30; I was working the local control position at anc. Traffic was heavy and the local assist position was open. I had an air carrier Y widebody transport land runway 6R and exit at taxiway D. Air carrier Y was told to cross runway 6L and contact ground. Following air carrier Y; air carrier X landed runway 6R in an unmarked white widebody transport. My attention turned to runway 2 which had several aircraft crossing and back-taxiing due to multiple taxiway closures. When I returned my attention to runway 6R; I momentarily mistook air carrier X for air carrier Y (air carrier Y often flies white; unmarked widebody transport's) and told air carrier Y to turn left at taxiway D. I received no response since air carrier Y was already on ground control. Air carrier X turned left at taxiway east and held short of runway 6L. Our facility handbook states that a widebody transport may not hold on taxiway east while another aircraft lands on runway 6R. At this point; air carrier Z (a widebody transport) was on about a 1 mi final for runway 6R. When I received no response to the instruction to use taxiway D; I realized that I was using the wrong call sign. At this point the natural progression of my scan was to look at my strip board to obtain the correct call sign. Before I could do this; however; my operations manager who was monitoring in the tower cabin attendant (not plugged into or signed on any position) walked up next to me and in a raised voice told me to 'cross air carrier Y; cross air carrier Y' while pointing at air carrier X on taxiway east. Believing that my operations manager had the correct information; I did not hesitate and; using the most recent air carrier Y call sign; told air carrier Y to cross runway 6L; twice. I received no response since air carrier Y was already on ground control. My operations manager then told me to 'send that guy around.' still believing that my operations manager was correct; I looked at my strip board which had air carrier Y in a crossing position. I thought that if air carrier Y was the aircraft holding between the runways; as I was being told by my manager; then the next strip (air carrier X) must be the aircraft on short final. I told air carrier X to go around; to which they responded 'we are on the ground.' at this point I realized that the information that my operations manager was giving me was incorrect. I then told air carrier Z to go around; to which they replied 'we are touching down.' I told air carrier X to cross runway 6L as air carrier Z was touching down on runway 6R. My local assist told me afterward that she was beginning to motion toward the strip board to point at the air carrier X strip and tell me to cross air carrier X when the operations manager told us to 'cross air carrier Y.' at that point she hesitated; believing she was confused as well. My 'la' and I had been working busy traffic together very well for approximately 45 mins with no problems. I am confident that had I not received an incorrect instruction from my operations manager; the normal progression of my scan would have resolved the issue before it occurred. If it had not; then at the least my 'la' would have fixed the problem had she not been confused by the operations manager's incorrect information as well. As a controller; you tune out a lot of backgnd noise in the tower cabin attendant; but when you hear a raised voice -- especially that of a supervisor or a manager -- giving you a specific instruction; you do not hesitate -- you act on it. The information the operations manager gave us was incorrect and I believe a direct cause of this error. The operations manager had no reason to believe that my 'la' and I were not working our traffic satisfactorily and should not have been there. Several witnesses in the tower; including my supervisor; said that the operations manager was being a distraction.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ANC LCL CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR WHEN MISIDENTING AN ACFT AND THEN ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS TO THE WRONG ACFT.

Narrative: ON JUN/FRI/05 AT APPROX XA30; I WAS WORKING THE LCL CTL POS AT ANC. TFC WAS HVY AND THE LCL ASSIST POS WAS OPEN. I HAD AN ACR Y WDB LAND RWY 6R AND EXIT AT TXWY D. ACR Y WAS TOLD TO CROSS RWY 6L AND CONTACT GND. FOLLOWING ACR Y; ACR X LANDED RWY 6R IN AN UNMARKED WHITE WDB. MY ATTN TURNED TO RWY 2 WHICH HAD SEVERAL ACFT XING AND BACK-TAXIING DUE TO MULTIPLE TXWY CLOSURES. WHEN I RETURNED MY ATTN TO RWY 6R; I MOMENTARILY MISTOOK ACR X FOR ACR Y (ACR Y OFTEN FLIES WHITE; UNMARKED WDB'S) AND TOLD ACR Y TO TURN L AT TXWY D. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE SINCE ACR Y WAS ALREADY ON GND CTL. ACR X TURNED L AT TXWY E AND HELD SHORT OF RWY 6L. OUR FACILITY HANDBOOK STATES THAT A WDB MAY NOT HOLD ON TXWY E WHILE ANOTHER ACFT LANDS ON RWY 6R. AT THIS POINT; ACR Z (A WDB) WAS ON ABOUT A 1 MI FINAL FOR RWY 6R. WHEN I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE TO THE INSTRUCTION TO USE TXWY D; I REALIZED THAT I WAS USING THE WRONG CALL SIGN. AT THIS POINT THE NATURAL PROGRESSION OF MY SCAN WAS TO LOOK AT MY STRIP BOARD TO OBTAIN THE CORRECT CALL SIGN. BEFORE I COULD DO THIS; HOWEVER; MY OPS MGR WHO WAS MONITORING IN THE TWR CAB (NOT PLUGGED INTO OR SIGNED ON ANY POS) WALKED UP NEXT TO ME AND IN A RAISED VOICE TOLD ME TO 'CROSS ACR Y; CROSS ACR Y' WHILE POINTING AT ACR X ON TXWY E. BELIEVING THAT MY OPS MGR HAD THE CORRECT INFO; I DID NOT HESITATE AND; USING THE MOST RECENT ACR Y CALL SIGN; TOLD ACR Y TO CROSS RWY 6L; TWICE. I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE SINCE ACR Y WAS ALREADY ON GND CTL. MY OPS MGR THEN TOLD ME TO 'SEND THAT GUY AROUND.' STILL BELIEVING THAT MY OPS MGR WAS CORRECT; I LOOKED AT MY STRIP BOARD WHICH HAD ACR Y IN A XING POS. I THOUGHT THAT IF ACR Y WAS THE ACFT HOLDING BTWN THE RWYS; AS I WAS BEING TOLD BY MY MGR; THEN THE NEXT STRIP (ACR X) MUST BE THE ACFT ON SHORT FINAL. I TOLD ACR X TO GO AROUND; TO WHICH THEY RESPONDED 'WE ARE ON THE GND.' AT THIS POINT I REALIZED THAT THE INFO THAT MY OPS MGR WAS GIVING ME WAS INCORRECT. I THEN TOLD ACR Z TO GO AROUND; TO WHICH THEY REPLIED 'WE ARE TOUCHING DOWN.' I TOLD ACR X TO CROSS RWY 6L AS ACR Z WAS TOUCHING DOWN ON RWY 6R. MY LCL ASSIST TOLD ME AFTERWARD THAT SHE WAS BEGINNING TO MOTION TOWARD THE STRIP BOARD TO POINT AT THE ACR X STRIP AND TELL ME TO CROSS ACR X WHEN THE OPS MGR TOLD US TO 'CROSS ACR Y.' AT THAT POINT SHE HESITATED; BELIEVING SHE WAS CONFUSED AS WELL. MY 'LA' AND I HAD BEEN WORKING BUSY TFC TOGETHER VERY WELL FOR APPROX 45 MINS WITH NO PROBS. I AM CONFIDENT THAT HAD I NOT RECEIVED AN INCORRECT INSTRUCTION FROM MY OPS MGR; THE NORMAL PROGRESSION OF MY SCAN WOULD HAVE RESOLVED THE ISSUE BEFORE IT OCCURRED. IF IT HAD NOT; THEN AT THE LEAST MY 'LA' WOULD HAVE FIXED THE PROB HAD SHE NOT BEEN CONFUSED BY THE OPS MGR'S INCORRECT INFO AS WELL. AS A CTLR; YOU TUNE OUT A LOT OF BACKGND NOISE IN THE TWR CAB; BUT WHEN YOU HEAR A RAISED VOICE -- ESPECIALLY THAT OF A SUPVR OR A MGR -- GIVING YOU A SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION; YOU DO NOT HESITATE -- YOU ACT ON IT. THE INFO THE OPS MGR GAVE US WAS INCORRECT AND I BELIEVE A DIRECT CAUSE OF THIS ERROR. THE OPS MGR HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT MY 'LA' AND I WERE NOT WORKING OUR TFC SATISFACTORILY AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE. SEVERAL WITNESSES IN THE TWR; INCLUDING MY SUPVR; SAID THAT THE OPS MGR WAS BEING A DISTR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.