Narrative:

A C650 was cleared for take-off from runway 24. Just prior to communications transfer off the departure end; he indicated he needed to return to the airport. I asked him if he needed assistance and he indicated he did not. My first reaction was to turn him back towards the airport; then ask the departure controller if I could just bring him back to the runway on my frequency. But after turning him back I realized he was in the clouds at that point. I asked the departure controller if the turn was ok and he said it was. Eventually the TRACON controller set him up for the ILS. He subsequently canceled his approach and instead went to another airport with a longer runway. My concern is that the initial turns issued were below the MVA. In my rush to get him back in; I neglected to consider this factor. There wasn't any loss of separation or any reaction from the pilot and no other facility was affected. I probably should have just switched him to the departure controller without any turns and let them work it out. In hindsight though; I really don't know if by doing this I may have cost the pilot time that he might have needed. Recommendation; when a pilot declares a problem; whether it is called an emergency or not; it is a very jarring experience. Even after many years doing this; I still often feel that it's better to overreact then chance under reacting. In this situation I perhaps should have used better judgment and not turned him. But at the time; your gut tells you that you need to get him back here quickly. It's still not quite clear to me which is better in the long run.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Tower Controller reaction to a request for an immediate return to the airport may not have been in accordance with ATC procedures regarding MVA and IFR procedures.

Narrative: A C650 was cleared for take-off from Runway 24. Just prior to communications transfer off the departure end; he indicated he needed to return to the airport. I asked him if he needed assistance and he indicated he did not. My first reaction was to turn him back towards the airport; then ask the Departure Controller if I could just bring him back to the runway on my frequency. But after turning him back I realized he was in the clouds at that point. I asked the Departure Controller if the turn was ok and he said it was. Eventually the TRACON Controller set him up for the ILS. He subsequently canceled his approach and instead went to another airport with a longer runway. My concern is that the initial turns issued were below the MVA. In my rush to get him back in; I neglected to consider this factor. There wasn't any loss of separation or any reaction from the pilot and no other facility was affected. I probably should have just switched him to the Departure Controller without any turns and let them work it out. In hindsight though; I really don't know if by doing this I may have cost the pilot time that he might have needed. Recommendation; when a pilot declares a problem; whether it is called an emergency or not; it is a very jarring experience. Even after many years doing this; I still often feel that it's better to overreact then chance under reacting. In this situation I perhaps should have used better judgment and not turned him. But at the time; your gut tells you that you need to get him back here quickly. It's still not quite clear to me which is better in the long run.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.