Prc controller voiced concern regarding FAA taxi requirements that cause pilot confusion.

Attributes
ACN	804525
Time
Date	200809
Place
Locale Reference	airport : prc.airport
State Reference	AZ
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Daylight
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : ground
Qualification	controller : radar
Experience	controller limited radar : 11 controller radar : 10
ASRS Report	804525
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Supplementary
Problem Areas	FAA
Primary Problem	FAA
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : prc.tower

Narrative:

The FAA's requirement for ATC controllers to issue full taxi rtes to all taxiing aircraft has led to increased confusion and less safety at prescott airport. While supervising and monitoring the ground control position; I witnessed frustration and confusion from the controllers and the majority of pilots being taxied to runway 12 for departure. One incident in particular almost resulted in an aircraft crossing the active runway. Our management here at prc has advised us to use paper stops instead of issuing complex taxi rtes because the full route taxi is sometimes too confusing to the pilots. We are being advised locally that we shouldn't do exactly as the nationally implemented procedure requires because it can lead to confusion. Before this full route requirement; we were able to chunk key taxiway portions in order to safely taxi our planes for departure. We are now in the process of working on an LOA with our local flight schools to ease confusion and workload; but it is ironic that we must do so in order to counteract a rule that was apparently instituted for safety.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PRC CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING FAA TAXI REQUIREMENTS THAT CAUSE PLT CONFUSION.

Narrative: THE FAA'S REQUIREMENT FOR ATC CTLRS TO ISSUE FULL TAXI RTES TO ALL TAXIING ACFT HAS LED TO INCREASED CONFUSION AND LESS SAFETY AT PRESCOTT ARPT. WHILE SUPERVISING AND MONITORING THE GND CTL POS; I WITNESSED FRUSTRATION AND CONFUSION FROM THE CTLRS AND THE MAJORITY OF PLTS BEING TAXIED TO RWY 12 FOR DEP. ONE INCIDENT IN PARTICULAR ALMOST RESULTED IN AN ACFT XING THE ACTIVE RWY. OUR MGMNT HERE AT PRC HAS ADVISED US TO USE PAPER STOPS INSTEAD OF ISSUING COMPLEX TAXI RTES BECAUSE THE FULL RTE TAXI IS SOMETIMES TOO CONFUSING TO THE PLTS. WE ARE BEING ADVISED LOCALLY THAT WE SHOULDN'T DO EXACTLY AS THE NATIONALLY IMPLEMENTED PROC REQUIRES BECAUSE IT CAN LEAD TO CONFUSION. BEFORE THIS FULL RTE REQUIREMENT; WE WERE ABLE TO CHUNK KEY TXWY PORTIONS IN ORDER TO SAFELY TAXI OUR PLANES FOR DEP. WE ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING ON AN LOA WITH OUR LCL FLT SCHOOLS TO EASE CONFUSION AND WORKLOAD; BUT IT IS IRONIC THAT WE MUST DO SO IN ORDER TO COUNTERACT A RULE THAT WAS APPARENTLY INSTITUTED FOR SAFETY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.