Narrative:

Ground/tower/clearance delivery all combined to 1 position. Ground/clearance delivery frequency on ground. Had to wait several mins to call for clearance. Made call. No answer. Made several more. Thought no one home, then clearance came at us without warning. Repeat of multiple calls for pushback and again for taxi. Approaching runway 17, thought flight attendants had finished passenger brief so had a break in radio traffic, so called ready for takeoff. Tower gave takeoff clearance and at same time had navy helicopter on practice approach 34 mi on final. Simultaneously, flight attendants renewed passenger brief. Called tower 3 times to advise we have to delay takeoff. Again, many calls -- several frequencys. Suddenly, tower says 'if you are going to takeoff you have to go now.' told him (tower) we had called several times to tell him we couldn't takeoff. Tower reply was he heard our first call, thought we might be ready at the line, and was working several frequencys. I acknowledged multiple frequencys and said this is 'unsafe.' tower said, 'it works 100 percent of the time,' and tried a verbal joust to defend what was very obviously an overload situation which was creating havoc in all airport regimes from ground/clearance to tower functions. This might work with 1 or 2 movements, and late at night, but with multiple air carrier operations, mixed GA operations and military air making practice instrument approachs, this was a screw-up looking to create an accident! In a word -- 'unsafe.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH TWR DUE TO COMBINED POS OF GND, CLRNC DELIVERY AND LCL CTLR. FREQ CONGESTION EXTREME.

Narrative: GND/TWR/CLRNC DELIVERY ALL COMBINED TO 1 POS. GND/CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ ON GND. HAD TO WAIT SEVERAL MINS TO CALL FOR CLRNC. MADE CALL. NO ANSWER. MADE SEVERAL MORE. THOUGHT NO ONE HOME, THEN CLRNC CAME AT US WITHOUT WARNING. REPEAT OF MULTIPLE CALLS FOR PUSHBACK AND AGAIN FOR TAXI. APCHING RWY 17, THOUGHT FLT ATTENDANTS HAD FINISHED PAX BRIEF SO HAD A BREAK IN RADIO TFC, SO CALLED READY FOR TKOF. TWR GAVE TKOF CLRNC AND AT SAME TIME HAD NAVY HELI ON PRACTICE APCH 34 MI ON FINAL. SIMULTANEOUSLY, FLT ATTENDANTS RENEWED PAX BRIEF. CALLED TWR 3 TIMES TO ADVISE WE HAVE TO DELAY TKOF. AGAIN, MANY CALLS -- SEVERAL FREQS. SUDDENLY, TWR SAYS 'IF YOU ARE GOING TO TKOF YOU HAVE TO GO NOW.' TOLD HIM (TWR) WE HAD CALLED SEVERAL TIMES TO TELL HIM WE COULDN'T TKOF. TWR REPLY WAS HE HEARD OUR FIRST CALL, THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE READY AT THE LINE, AND WAS WORKING SEVERAL FREQS. I ACKNOWLEDGED MULTIPLE FREQS AND SAID THIS IS 'UNSAFE.' TWR SAID, 'IT WORKS 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME,' AND TRIED A VERBAL JOUST TO DEFEND WHAT WAS VERY OBVIOUSLY AN OVERLOAD SIT WHICH WAS CREATING HAVOC IN ALL ARPT REGIMES FROM GND/CLRNC TO TWR FUNCTIONS. THIS MIGHT WORK WITH 1 OR 2 MOVEMENTS, AND LATE AT NIGHT, BUT WITH MULTIPLE ACR OPS, MIXED GA OPS AND MIL AIR MAKING PRACTICE INST APCHS, THIS WAS A SCREW-UP LOOKING TO CREATE AN ACCIDENT! IN A WORD -- 'UNSAFE.'

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.