"chickenlittle92071" wrote in message
ups.com...

Christopher Damron, operating initials CD, the lone controller, was
working four positions. (1) Flight data/clearance delivery(FD/CD)
where he had to contact center and transmit clearances to aircraft on
one frequency, (2) Ground Control (GC) where he had to issue taxi
clearance and watch taxiing aircraft on ramp and taxiways on another
frequency, Local Control (LC) where he had to watch aircraft on the
runway and in the traffic pattern in the control zone out to five mile
radius on a third frequency, and Radar Departure Control (DC) where he
had to give heading to fly for arrivals and departures below 10,000
ft. on a fourth frequency. This is not too much to handle if things
fall in a staggered sequence, but when you get busy, someone has to
wait. You can't talk on four frequencies at once or talk to ten
aircraft at once. In the business, it's called going "Down the tubes".
During the day, all these positions are manned and in addition the
local control position can be split between two controllers. There is
a supervisor and cab coordinator (CC) also who monitor all positions
to insure safe operations. I have a photo I took a LGB where you can
see ten controllers in the tower cab.


Actually, it's quite easy to talk on four or more frequencies at once.



As you listen to the tape, you will see that CD doesn't have a lot of
time to catch his breath in the minutes before Comair is cleared for
takeoff. After that, he has nothing to do. He let his guard down.
These times show it to some degrees but his transmissions are
sometimes lengthy and there is little time between each transmission.


It doesn't appear he needed to catch his breath. Traffic was very light.



At 13:54, the controller, operating initials Charley Delta, calls
ARTCC. He doesn't key his microphone while dialing (old rotary pulse
phone) but has to key in to talk to center at 13:58. That is when you
hear CD breathing and the music in the background from the radio. He
unkeys his mike at 14:05 and the music can no longer be heard. We hear
it again at 14:09 when he keys in. ARTCC hasn't come up on the line so
the music can only be in the tower cab. At 14:08, ARTCC comes on the
line and CD requests a release on Skywest 6819. Center releases him
and CD gives his initials and hangs up at 14:12. The music stops at
that time.


If the music was in the tower cab it'd be heard on every recorded line. It
isn't heard when he's making a transmission, it's only heard when he's
dialed ZID TMU.



At 20:48 CD goes on the land line and dials center (ARTCC).
At 20:55 CD again keys his mike and we hear the music. While waiting
for center, Skywest 6819 can be heard on the speaker in the background
saying he is passing 10,000ft.and requesting a turn to 300 degrees to
avoid weather.


No, SKW6819 says "we need right of course for weather about a three hundred
heading". He says nothing about passing any altitude at that time, he'd
only been cleared to 10,000.



CD approves his request and immediately center comes on
the line and CD request a release on Comair. He had to be watching
Comair approaching the approach end of the short runway because he
call for the release in advance of him arriving at runway 22.


How do you draw that conclusion? He had an aircraft taxiing that needed a
flow release, why would he wait until the aircraft reached the runway to get
it?



He immediately calls another sector and requests the 300 heading for
Skywest 6819 to "get around some weather", but he had already approved
the turn for Skywest.


Yes, and after issuing it he had to coordinate it.



If Comair 191 is at the approach end of the wrong runway, he is
nowhere near runway 22.


Nowhere near? The distance between them looks to be less than 700 feet.



This is 16 seconds after he cleared Comair for takeoff and he hasn't
seen him rolling on the wrong runway. He was supposed to scan his
runway when he cleared him for takeoff and should have noticed him on
the wrong runway. He claimed he did see him on the wrong runway but
said nothing to him and didn't cancel his takeoff clearance.


You think Comair was on the wrong runway when he called ready for takeoff?