Narrative:

I was working arrival sectors combined at memphis TRACON; when an SR22 checked in 45 miles southeast of mem; landing at mem. Winds were 290 at 19 KTS; so I assigned runway 27. A few minutes later; mem tower showed (via automation) that runway 27 was released to ground control; common practice to avoid potential issues with aircraft crossing that runway; in order to quickly taxi to runway 36L/right. I called the tower coordinator (cc) position to advise them that a SR22 would need to use runway 27 due to the wind; but the position was not staffed. So; I called local-2 with the coordination; but was told I'd have to speak with a supervisor. But; I never heard from anyone. So; when the aircraft was 10 miles out; I issued a visual approach clearance to runway 27 and issued a frequency change to the tower. A minute or two later; the pilot came back to verify he had the right frequency; because whoever he spoke to said they didn't have a runway 27. I called the tower again; explained what I'd been told; and asked what was happening. The controller said to have the pilot call them again. I apologized to the pilot for the confusion; re-issued the clearance for runway 27; and issued the frequency change to the pilot. I then watched the tower apparently circle the aircraft for a right downwind for runway 36R. The pilot landed without incident. At the time of landing; the winds were 290 at 9 KTS; but the ATIS was broadcasting winds 300 at 15 KTS; gusting to 25; and winds had been fluctuating all day. I feel this was a potentially dangerous situation for pilot; as the cirrus owner's manual lists the maximum crosswind component as 15 KTS. Additionally; the pilot was likely confused by the last-minute runway change. After the fact; I learned from tower controllers that they wanted to let the aircraft land on runway 27; but were instructed to do otherwise by the supervisor. Because of the time of day; and previous day's weather issues/delays; I was told that there weren't enough outbound aircraft to warrant an 'operational necessity' explanation for forcing the pilot of the SR22; to land with such a crosswind. This is not first issue that either tower or TRACON controllers have had with this particular supervisor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MEM TRACON Controller claimed the Tower Supervisors instructions regarding the landing runway assignment was inappropriate considering the crosswind factors and traffic conditions.

Narrative: I was working arrival sectors combined at Memphis TRACON; when an SR22 checked in 45 miles southeast of MEM; landing at MEM. Winds were 290 at 19 KTS; so I assigned Runway 27. A few minutes later; MEM Tower showed (via automation) that Runway 27 was released to Ground Control; common practice to avoid potential issues with aircraft crossing that runway; in order to quickly taxi to Runway 36L/R. I called the Tower Coordinator (CC) position to advise them that a SR22 would need to use Runway 27 due to the wind; but the position was not staffed. So; I called Local-2 with the coordination; but was told I'd have to speak with a Supervisor. But; I never heard from anyone. So; when the aircraft was 10 miles out; I issued a visual approach clearance to Runway 27 and issued a frequency change to the Tower. A minute or two later; the pilot came back to verify he had the right frequency; because whoever he spoke to said they didn't have a Runway 27. I called the Tower again; explained what I'd been told; and asked what was happening. The Controller said to have the pilot call them again. I apologized to the pilot for the confusion; re-issued the clearance for Runway 27; and issued the frequency change to the pilot. I then watched the Tower apparently circle the aircraft for a right downwind for Runway 36R. The pilot landed without incident. At the time of landing; the winds were 290 at 9 KTS; but the ATIS was broadcasting winds 300 at 15 KTS; gusting to 25; and winds had been fluctuating all day. I feel this was a potentially dangerous situation for pilot; as the Cirrus owner's manual lists the maximum crosswind component as 15 KTS. Additionally; the pilot was likely confused by the last-minute runway change. After the fact; I learned from Tower Controllers that they wanted to let the aircraft land on Runway 27; but were instructed to do otherwise by the Supervisor. Because of the time of day; and previous day's weather issues/delays; I was told that there weren't enough outbound aircraft to warrant an 'operational necessity' explanation for forcing the pilot of the SR22; to land with such a crosswind. This is not first issue that either Tower or TRACON Controllers have had with this particular Supervisor.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.