Narrative:

This report is not the result of an error directly as much as by errors ongoing. The problem is WX reporting in ATC towers. The contributing factors are many. I do not believe that these problems are unique to my tower. One problem is one of priorities, and workload. At my tower the position that does the WX observation is the flight data position. This position is rarely not combined with clearance delivery. This makes for a very busy position between 20 mins before and on the hour due to the aircraft calling for their clrncs so that they may depart at the hour, stuffing the strips (clrncs) from the fdio printer into the strip holders, doing a WX observation and recording an ATIS. As a result of the workload the sky condition and visibility, if not obviously different are simply copied from the hour before. Compounding errors and in many cases not giving a true evaluation of subtly changing conditions. Another problem is the location of the observation. In our case we must take all observations from inside the tower. The combination of this and the incredibly high amount of light around the airport results many times in erroneous observations. (I cannot count the number of times that I have reported a clear or ovc sky condition all night only to see at first light that it was completely opp). Still another problem is (I hope) a lack of knowledge of flying an aircraft. At mdw if we use runway 13 ILS we severely impact the operation at ord. Many supervisors and controllers will either report the wind, (or instruct the individual doing the WX to report the wind) to be more in line with our desired runway confign than it really is. This 'shading' can be as much as 20-30 degrees and or up to 10 KTS. This can probably be confirmed by looking at and comparing wind reports for gyy, cgx, ord, and the surrounding airports and mdw. I do not believe that many controllers truely understand the effects that the wind has on aircraft. The only corrective actions that I can think of would be to strongly encourage all controllers to become pilots so that they will understand better the effects of WX on flight, have WX observations taken by persons not subject to the pressures of making the WX report conform to the runway confign. Start a program to reeducate controllers about WX and raise the status of WX reporting from the current low priority.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WX OBSERVATIONS BY ATCT CTLRS.

Narrative: THIS REPORT IS NOT THE RESULT OF AN ERROR DIRECTLY AS MUCH AS BY ERRORS ONGOING. THE PROB IS WX RPTING IN ATC TWRS. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE MANY. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THESE PROBS ARE UNIQUE TO MY TWR. ONE PROB IS ONE OF PRIORITIES, AND WORKLOAD. AT MY TWR THE POS THAT DOES THE WX OBSERVATION IS THE FLT DATA POS. THIS POS IS RARELY NOT COMBINED WITH CLRNC DELIVERY. THIS MAKES FOR A VERY BUSY POS BTWN 20 MINS BEFORE AND ON THE HOUR DUE TO THE ACFT CALLING FOR THEIR CLRNCS SO THAT THEY MAY DEPART AT THE HOUR, STUFFING THE STRIPS (CLRNCS) FROM THE FDIO PRINTER INTO THE STRIP HOLDERS, DOING A WX OBSERVATION AND RECORDING AN ATIS. AS A RESULT OF THE WORKLOAD THE SKY CONDITION AND VISIBILITY, IF NOT OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT ARE SIMPLY COPIED FROM THE HOUR BEFORE. COMPOUNDING ERRORS AND IN MANY CASES NOT GIVING A TRUE EVALUATION OF SUBTLY CHANGING CONDITIONS. ANOTHER PROB IS THE LOCATION OF THE OBSERVATION. IN OUR CASE WE MUST TAKE ALL OBSERVATIONS FROM INSIDE THE TWR. THE COMBINATION OF THIS AND THE INCREDIBLY HIGH AMOUNT OF LIGHT AROUND THE ARPT RESULTS MANY TIMES IN ERRONEOUS OBSERVATIONS. (I CANNOT COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT I HAVE RPTED A CLR OR OVC SKY CONDITION ALL NIGHT ONLY TO SEE AT FIRST LIGHT THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY OPP). STILL ANOTHER PROB IS (I HOPE) A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF FLYING AN ACFT. AT MDW IF WE USE RWY 13 ILS WE SEVERELY IMPACT THE OPERATION AT ORD. MANY SUPVRS AND CTLRS WILL EITHER RPT THE WIND, (OR INSTRUCT THE INDIVIDUAL DOING THE WX TO RPT THE WIND) TO BE MORE IN LINE WITH OUR DESIRED RWY CONFIGN THAN IT REALLY IS. THIS 'SHADING' CAN BE AS MUCH AS 20-30 DEGS AND OR UP TO 10 KTS. THIS CAN PROBABLY BE CONFIRMED BY LOOKING AT AND COMPARING WIND RPTS FOR GYY, CGX, ORD, AND THE SURROUNDING ARPTS AND MDW. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MANY CTLRS TRUELY UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS THAT THE WIND HAS ON ACFT. THE ONLY CORRECTIVE ACTIONS THAT I CAN THINK OF WOULD BE TO STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ALL CTLRS TO BECOME PLTS SO THAT THEY WILL UNDERSTAND BETTER THE EFFECTS OF WX ON FLT, HAVE WX OBSERVATIONS TAKEN BY PERSONS NOT SUBJECT TO THE PRESSURES OF MAKING THE WX RPT CONFORM TO THE RWY CONFIGN. START A PROGRAM TO REEDUCATE CTLRS ABOUT WX AND RAISE THE STATUS OF WX RPTING FROM THE CURRENT LOW PRIORITY.

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.