Runway closure, a low-fuel light twin and a HEMS priority request
At 07:05 UTC, Approach Control at a single-runway airport is working nine arrivals in the next 20 minutes. Runway 09/27 is closed for a FOD inspection after a tyre burst; the airport operator expects 15 minutes. Weather is VMC, wind 090/10 kt. Four aircraft are already holding between FL070 and FL100. Baron 21, a light twin, reports '35 minutes' fuel remaining' and requests priority. A Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) aircraft calls 15 NM south, requesting direct to a hospital helipad 4 km from the airport, 'priority, patient on board'. A turboprop is on a 10 NM final. The adjacent military aerodrome, 25 NM east, has a serviceable ILS and can accept diversions with 30 minutes' notice. You have one assistant controller. The FOD inspection has not yet started.
1. How do you sequence the traffic and what instructions do you issue in the next 10 minutes?
Read the worked answer
First establish the runway reopening time. Tell the operator to call when the inspection is complete and confirm no FOD remains. Then:
(a) Keep the four holding aircraft at their levels, assign expected approach times and pass the delay.
(b) Ask every aircraft for fuel endurance in minutes, not 'sufficient'.
(c) HEMS: identify its route and whether it needs the runway or only the helipad. A helipad 4 km from the airport may be reachable without crossing the runway; if so, clear it direct, keep it clear of the final approach and missed-approach area, and do not put it through the hold. Patient priority justifies priority handling, not necessarily runway use; if it needs the runway, it lands first when the runway reopens.
(d) The turboprop on 10 NM final: send it around now and hold; do not let it commit to a closed runway.
(e) Build the arrival sequence by fuel and medical priority, then by altitude, and use speed control on final once the runway opens.
2. Baron 21 has 35 minutes of fuel. At what point does this become an emergency, and what do you do?
Read the worked answer
35 minutes total fuel is not yet an emergency, but it is a developing fuel situation. Ask for endurance in minutes, persons on board, and whether the pilot is willing to divert. Tell the truth about the delay: runway closed for at least 15 minutes, four aircraft ahead, likely landing in 25 to 30 minutes.
Offer the military aerodrome 25 NM east now, while the pilot still has options. If he accepts, coordinate the diversion with that approach unit and hand him off. If he elects to hold, set a personal trigger: if he is not on final by 15 minutes remaining, or if he declares minimum fuel, treat it as an emergency.
A minimum-fuel declaration means the aircraft may not be able to accept further delay; an emergency declaration gives it priority and protects the pilot under the rules. Do not wait for the pilot to use the word 'emergency' before acting. Advise, offer, record, and keep the options open.
3. What coordination is required with the airport operator, the military aerodrome and the HEMS, and in what order?
Read the worked answer
Priority 1: airport operator. Get a firm reopening time and confirmation that the runway is sterile. Ask for the inspection to be done in the shortest safe time, but do not pressure unsafe work.
Priority 2: military aerodrome. Call ahead with the possible number of diversions, types, fuel states and ETAs so it can prepare. Do not transfer an aircraft until it has been accepted.
Priority 3: HEMS. Confirm routing, whether it needs the runway and the landing site, and tell it the runway status.
Also inform the supervisor and the adjacent sector, and write down times and names. If the runway reopens earlier, update everyone. The order is driven by the shortest time to a safe outcome: runway status first, diversion capacity second, HEMS routing third.