A landing aircraft occupied the runway at the same time an IFR small aircraft was departing.

Attributes
ACN	139870
Time
Date	199002
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : laf
State Reference	IN
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Experience	controller radar : 5 controller supervisory : 2
ASRS Report	139087
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : approach
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : required legal separation non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	faa : investigated
Miss Distance	horizontal : 3000 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Error

Narrative:

Busy session with aircraft in the pattern and entering the pattern. Ground control combined at local control (due to staffing) and several aircraft on ground frequency. Approach control advised that if I could get the departure going to release him. I hit a gap between a touch and go and an arriving aircraft. I did not observe less than standard runway sep. This could have been avoided by sending the arrival around or waiting for a more opportune time to depart the IFR small aircraft X. The only other person in the cabin attendant (approach controller) observed the occurrence, but did nothing to make me aware of it at the time. Later he confided in another controller who directed him to another supervisor, who directed him to the air traffic manager. Atm asked me if I had had a system error involving the aforementioned sequence of events, and I told him not that I was aware of. Later, I was decertified, and have started receiving remedial training to ensure alleged occurrence will not happen again.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LNDG ACFT OCCUPIED THE RWY AT THE SAME TIME AN IFR SMA WAS DEPARTING.

Narrative: BUSY SESSION WITH ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND ENTERING THE PATTERN. GND CTL COMBINED AT LCL CTL (DUE TO STAFFING) AND SEVERAL ACFT ON GND FREQ. APCH CTL ADVISED THAT IF I COULD GET THE DEP GOING TO RELEASE HIM. I HIT A GAP BTWN A TOUCH AND GO AND AN ARRIVING ACFT. I DID NOT OBSERVE LESS THAN STANDARD RWY SEP. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY SENDING THE ARR AROUND OR WAITING FOR A MORE OPPORTUNE TIME TO DEPART THE IFR SMA X. THE ONLY OTHER PERSON IN THE CAB (APCH CTLR) OBSERVED THE OCCURRENCE, BUT DID NOTHING TO MAKE ME AWARE OF IT AT THE TIME. LATER HE CONFIDED IN ANOTHER CTLR WHO DIRECTED HIM TO ANOTHER SUPVR, WHO DIRECTED HIM TO THE AIR TFC MGR. ATM ASKED ME IF I HAD HAD A SYS ERROR INVOLVING THE AFOREMENTIONED SEQUENCE OF EVENTS, AND I TOLD HIM NOT THAT I WAS AWARE OF. LATER, I WAS DECERTIFIED, AND HAVE STARTED RECEIVING REMEDIAL TRNING TO ENSURE ALLEGED OCCURRENCE WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

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.