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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1483928 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201709 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | YIP.Airport |
| State Reference | MI |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Super King Air 200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff Taxi |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Ground Local |
| Qualification | Air Traffic Control Fully Certified |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | ATC Issue All Types Airspace Violation All Types Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
I received a call from [the aircraft] requesting taxi for departure. I taxied [the aircraft] to the nearest runway and upon receiving a release from the TRACON; cleared [the aircraft] for takeoff on the standard climb out. Shortly after departure; I was contacted by the departure controller who asked which runways we were using. Only then did I realize what we were advertising and I had departed [the aircraft] opposite direction without coordination.I think there were a few factors in play. Expectation bias. The aircraft's destination was north; and the runway I assigned was by far the most convenient point for departure from a taxi standpoint. Normally this would have been stopped by any of a few factors; none of which were present here. Calling the aircraft to the center flight data but data was closed; prevailing winds (winds had been calm all night); or existing traffic to the advertised runway (I had one VFR aircraft landing on a crosswind runway; and had not spoken to another aircraft all night).although I did not feel especially tired; having rested both before and during the shift; it would be foolish to suggest that fatigue had nothing to do with an error occurring during a mid-shift; especially during the final hour of a mid-shift. I was preoccupied with sequencing my only other aircraft; such that [this particular aircraft] could be departed without delaying for a slow VFR arrival.the biggest problem; at least in my mind; was the lack of a convenient indicator of which runway was in use during a low-traffic period where no other indicators were present to suggest the runway in use. The information display system-4 in the cab displays this information; but does so in small text directly behind the local controller on the opposite side of the cab. I believe any formally instituted visual aid or similar device that would have prevented this would be a hindrance during normal operations. Instead; I will write pertinent information on a flight strip in the future; such that it will be readily visible if these conditions recur.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A Tower Controller reported they allowed an aircraft to depart a different runway than what was coordinated with the TRACON.
Narrative: I received a call from [the Aircraft] requesting taxi for departure. I taxied [the Aircraft] to the nearest runway and upon receiving a release from the TRACON; cleared [the Aircraft] for takeoff on the standard climb out. Shortly after departure; I was contacted by the departure controller who asked which runways we were using. Only then did I realize what we were advertising and I had departed [the Aircraft] opposite direction without coordination.I think there were a few factors in play. Expectation bias. The aircraft's destination was north; and the runway I assigned was by far the most convenient point for departure from a taxi standpoint. Normally this would have been stopped by any of a few factors; none of which were present here. Calling the aircraft to the Center flight data but data was closed; prevailing winds (winds had been calm all night); or existing traffic to the advertised runway (I had one VFR aircraft landing on a crosswind runway; and had not spoken to another aircraft all night).Although I did not feel especially tired; having rested both before and during the shift; it would be foolish to suggest that fatigue had nothing to do with an error occurring during a mid-shift; especially during the final hour of a mid-shift. I was preoccupied with sequencing my only other aircraft; such that [this particular Aircraft] could be departed without delaying for a slow VFR arrival.The biggest problem; at least in my mind; was the lack of a convenient indicator of which runway was in use during a low-traffic period where no other indicators were present to suggest the runway in use. The Information Display System-4 in the cab displays this information; but does so in small text directly behind the local controller on the opposite side of the cab. I believe any formally instituted visual aid or similar device that would have prevented this would be a hindrance during normal operations. Instead; I will write pertinent information on a flight strip in the future; such that it will be readily visible if these conditions recur.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.