Mem controller described an unsafe situation when local requirements for parallel approaches were no...

Narrative:

An air carrier was inbound for the evening push with weather around the field. I was working the 2 eastern parallels and runway 27. We originally were landing south; but half-way thru the push turned the airport around to 36L/right and runway 27 with staggered ILS approaches due to winds. The ASOS was reporting limited visibility and minimal ceilings. For this operation; the aircraft on final to 36R must be in sight by a 3 mile final; and the aircraft on final to runway 27 must be in sight as well by a 3 mile final on their respective ILS'. On this evening we were seeing the aircraft on final to 36R at 1 1/2 SM and the aircraft on final to 27 at 2 SM. The supervisor on duty told me to let him know and break out aircraft on final to 27 if they weren't in sight by a 2 mile final. So that is what I did. At the time; I was working other frequencies and concerned about issuing PIREPS; updating arriving aircraft on the current weather situation; and keeping the runways clear to keep go-arounds as much out of the equation as possible. I would recommend some form of additional training or refresher training be provided so that everyone knows the rules and implements the rules properly to ensure a much safer situation next time.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MEM Controller described an unsafe situation when local requirements for parallel approaches were not followed given the weather and supervisory directions.

Narrative: An Air Carrier was inbound for the evening push with weather around the field. I was working the 2 Eastern parallels and Runway 27. We originally were landing south; but half-way thru the push turned the airport around to 36L/R and Runway 27 with staggered ILS approaches due to winds. The ASOS was reporting limited visibility and minimal ceilings. For this operation; the aircraft on final to 36R must be in sight by a 3 mile final; and the aircraft on final to Runway 27 must be in sight as well by a 3 mile final on their respective ILS'. On this evening we were seeing the aircraft on final to 36R at 1 1/2 SM and the aircraft on final to 27 at 2 SM. The Supervisor on duty told me to let him know and break out aircraft on final to 27 if they weren't in sight by a 2 mile final. So that is what I did. At the time; I was working other frequencies and concerned about issuing PIREPS; updating arriving aircraft on the current weather situation; and keeping the runways clear to keep go-arounds as much out of the equation as possible. I would recommend some form of additional training or refresher training be provided so that everyone knows the rules and implements the rules properly to ensure a much safer situation next time.

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.

Attributes
ACN	981107
Time
Date	201111
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	MEM.Airport
State Reference	TN
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Approach Departure
Qualification	Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Person 2
Qualification	Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types

Mem controller described an unsafe situation when local requirements for parallel approaches were not followed given the weather and supervisory directions.