Narrative:

A skills check on myself was being accomplished at the time with my front line manager(flm); at which time local control (local control)1 and LC2 positions were combined at the LC1 position so that I was responsible for Runway13L; runway 13R; and runway 22L. Cba position was open in the back for helicopter and VFR traffic. Aircraft X was inbound on the VOR Runway13L approach; checked in and I cleared the aircraft to land on Runway13L. The aircraft continued inbound and another controller plugged in to relieve me. I relinquished control of Runway13R to LC2 and advised that the runway was theirs; my last departure had been switched; and nobody was holding in position. I also switched the remaining departures on my frequency to 123.9 so that LC2 could work them out. During the relief briefing; aircraft X called and requested verification of landing clearance; to which I responded; 'aircraft X affirm; runway 13L cleared to land.' I finished the relief briefing and accomplished my 2 minutes of position debrief monitoring time; after which I unplugged and walked to the back of the cab to put down my headset and talk to my flm about the skills check. Shortly thereafter; I heard LC2 shout out something to the effect of 'hey did you clear this guy to land on the right side?' I looked out the window and observed aircraft X on short final; below 500 feet and probably inside a half a mile lined up for Runway13R. After recognizing the situation; LC1 sent the aircraft around. At no time during my control of the position or during my relief briefing/monitor time did I observe aircraft X lining up for the incorrect runway.recommendation: the VOR approach for Runway13L/right requires that the pilot fly an extended right base for jfk and to transition from heads-down in the cockpit to heads-up visual flying in a complex and congested airspace in a cluttered ground environment within a major metropolitan area. The nature of the approach requires large passenger aircraft to perform an approach that is more suited for GA aircraft and leads to regular low altitude alert callouts. The approach also invites airspace excursions into lga airspace should pilots become fixated on picking up the lead-in lights while the aircraft continues on the right base; if visibility is poor; pilots can easily fly past the extended centerline for Runway13L. Even on a clear day; having to visually acquire the sequenced flashing lights can prove challenging; as I have had the opportunity to experience this approach from inside the cockpit while flight deck training. I am not sure if the lead-in lights were active for Runway13R; but if so; this furthers the possibility for alignment with the incorrect runway.to this end; I would recommend termination of the VOR approach and solely using the RNAV approach; so that carriers could fly this complicated approach on autopilot. Lessening the human element would remove the possibility of lining up for the incorrect runway; with pilots hand-flying only the final portion of the approach; inside of a mile final when the aircraft is already lined up for the correct runway.separately; but related; the configuration of the local control positions is not appropriate for operations on the 13s. The positions face to the east; with 90% of all traffic movement on the 13s happening behind the controller; requiring constant; exaggerated body movements to scan the airspace and runway environments. Heads-down time necessary for local control operation (i.e. Pulling/ordering/writing on strips; entries on the stars keypad; etc...) is also accomplished in the opposite direction of traffic flow...transitioning from pulling arrival strips to turning around and scanning out the windows adds countless seconds to each scanning operation; which can be crucial on the most complicated approach jfk has. This specific incident happened while the relieving controller was setting up the position to his liking; ordering strips; preferred sets on the scope;etc.... At an approach speed of 140-160 knots IAS for a B738; the time it takes for the aircraft to roll out and align with Runway13R instead of Runway13L would take 30 seconds or less; and the non-modular 'modular' configuration in the tower does not allow for appropriate scanning of arrival traffic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: JFK Tower Controller and flight crew reported the flight lined up for the parallel runway prior to going around.

Narrative: A skills check on myself was being accomplished at the time with my Front Line Manager(FLM); at which time Local Control (LC)1 and LC2 positions were combined at the LC1 position so that I was responsible for Runway13L; Runway 13R; and Runway 22L. CBA position was open in the back for helicopter and VFR traffic. Aircraft X was inbound on the VOR Runway13L approach; checked in and I cleared the aircraft to land on Runway13L. The aircraft continued inbound and another controller plugged in to relieve me. I relinquished control of Runway13R to LC2 and advised that the runway was theirs; my last departure had been switched; and nobody was holding in position. I also switched the remaining departures on my frequency to 123.9 so that LC2 could work them out. During the relief briefing; Aircraft X called and requested verification of landing clearance; to which I responded; 'Aircraft X affirm; runway 13L cleared to land.' I finished the relief briefing and accomplished my 2 minutes of position debrief monitoring time; after which I unplugged and walked to the back of the cab to put down my headset and talk to my FLM about the skills check. Shortly thereafter; I heard LC2 shout out something to the effect of 'Hey did you clear this guy to land on the right side?' I looked out the window and observed Aircraft X on short final; below 500 feet and probably inside a half a mile lined up for Runway13R. After recognizing the situation; LC1 sent the aircraft around. At no time during my control of the position or during my relief briefing/monitor time did I observe Aircraft X lining up for the incorrect runway.Recommendation: The VOR approach for Runway13L/R requires that the pilot fly an extended right base for JFK and to transition from heads-down in the cockpit to heads-up visual flying in a complex and congested airspace in a cluttered ground environment within a major metropolitan area. The nature of the approach requires large passenger aircraft to perform an approach that is more suited for GA aircraft and leads to regular low altitude alert callouts. The approach also invites airspace excursions into LGA airspace should pilots become fixated on picking up the lead-in lights while the aircraft continues on the right base; if visibility is poor; pilots can easily fly past the extended centerline for Runway13L. Even on a clear day; having to visually acquire the sequenced flashing lights can prove challenging; as I have had the opportunity to experience this approach from inside the cockpit while Flight Deck Training. I am not sure if the lead-in lights were active for Runway13R; but if so; this furthers the possibility for alignment with the incorrect runway.To this end; I would recommend termination of the VOR approach and solely using the RNAV approach; so that carriers could fly this complicated approach on autopilot. Lessening the human element would remove the possibility of lining up for the incorrect runway; with pilots hand-flying only the final portion of the approach; inside of a mile final when the aircraft is already lined up for the correct runway.Separately; but related; the configuration of the local control positions is not appropriate for operations on the 13s. The positions face to the east; with 90% of all traffic movement on the 13s happening behind the controller; requiring constant; exaggerated body movements to scan the airspace and runway environments. Heads-down time necessary for local control operation (i.e. pulling/ordering/writing on strips; entries on the STARS keypad; etc...) is also accomplished in the opposite direction of traffic flow...transitioning from pulling arrival strips to turning around and scanning out the windows adds countless seconds to each scanning operation; which can be crucial on the most complicated approach JFK has. This specific incident happened while the relieving controller was setting up the position to his liking; ordering strips; preferred sets on the scope;etc.... At an approach speed of 140-160 Knots IAS for a B738; the time it takes for the aircraft to roll out and align with Runway13R instead of Runway13L would take 30 seconds or less; and the non-modular 'modular' configuration in the tower does not allow for appropriate scanning of arrival traffic.

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.