Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 11
Training / Qualification; Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Human Factors; Manuals; Procedure
I was plugged in with a trainee in local control when we received inbound information from Flight Data that they had just received it from Center on Aircraft X on a Visual Approach. The trainee and I looked at the RADAR display and saw him turning onto a 5 mile final moving pretty quick with several VFR aircraft in the rectangular pattern on the intersecting runway. We had no time to build a hole for Aircraft X and the spacing was going to be too tight so we sent Aircraft X around. This was an issue since our LOA (Letter of Agreement) with the Center says they shall pass inbound information 10 miles or more which they did not do after they had just had a similar situation minutes before with Aircraft Y they had inbounded 2 miles south east of the airport on the Visual Approach with a busy pattern.I plugged a handset in the CIC (Controller in Charge) position and called Center and told them they need to inbound these IFR arrivals a little sooner. I did this at the CIC position as Local Control was busy and I was trying to not distract the trainee as he was working the traffic. The response I got from Center was he was waiting for a down time for Aircraft Y. I told him that he should review our LOA. I found this unacceptable as there is a reason why we have a LOA and it allows us time to make plans to adjust traffic to accommodate IFR arrivals and lets us know what Center is going to do with the inbounds. Its difficult to separate aircraft that we don't know about that may be descending or on an approach. After we sent Aircraft X around we coordinated for the missed approach with Flight Data. Flight Data informed us that Center wanted runway heading to 3;000 feet. We issued the missed approach instructions to Aircraft X and switched the aircraft to Center.A minute or so later Flight data passes us the next inbound information on Aircraft Z south east of the field then follows it up that Center is going to turn Aircraft X north bound and he is doing the Visual Approach. Very shortly after Aircraft X checks on roughly 3 miles northwest of the field. This is a problem because again we thought Aircraft Z was going to be number 1 who was well over 10 miles from the airport; followed by Aircraft X. We had let the VFR traffic on the rectangular pattern on resume and started to plan for Aircraft Z arrival. As soon as Aircraft X checked on; we were shocked and began moving aircraft out of his way that were roughly a mile in front of Aircraft X. I asked another controller to relieve us as this now was 3 situations back to back that the trainee had handled very well but was very dangerous. I wanted to call over to Center and try to figure out what was going on. Follow the LOA between ZMP and TVC.
After Aircraft X was sent around Center inbounded Aircraft Z about 20 miles southwest for a Visual Approach. A minute or two later Center called back and asked what we wanted to do with Aircraft X and if it was ok if they turned him north. I said affirmative but we have a lot of small aircraft using Runway 18 and Center said that they saw that. Center then said ok I will turn Aircraft X to the north and clear him for the Visual Approach. A minute or two later Aircraft X calls local inbound on the Visual Approach about 3 miles northwest and about 1 mile in trail of a Cessna doing more than double their speed. The Cessna on approach to the intersecting runway was broken off to bring Aircraft X in. Local Control and I were surprised that Aircraft X turned in like that and was switched over. We thought that the aircarrier was number 1 to the field since we never got an official inbound on Aircraft X. We thought that Aircraft X was being sent north to get setup on the visual approach after the air carrier.Follow the LOA.
Four Tower Controllers reported the Center was coordinating IFR arrivals too late and not in compliance with the Letter of Agreement; causing airborne conflicts and arrivals being issued go around instructions.