Medium Large Transport
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 2
Confusion; Distraction; Workload; Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach
Procedure; Airspace Structure
The airport was in a non-standard runway configuration (Rwys 8/33 in use) due to unusual winds (out of the north with gusts as high as 55 kts). Aircraft X was the first in a line of three arrivals; all on visual approaches to Rwy 33. The procedure for VA's to Rwy 33 is for TRACON to bring the aircraft in on an extended left base; as this allows them to keep the planes away from both VNY airspace and LAX's Class B airspace. Aircraft X was cleared to land on Rwy 33. When he was about 100 feet AGL or less; the pilot initiated a go-around due to heavy windshear (gusts up to 55 knots). As I have mentioned in previous reports; the lack of missed approach procedures at BUR creates a dangerous situation any time an IFR aircraft goes around. We have been instructed that due to the lack of a Diverse Vectors Area (DVA) at BUR; we may not vector any IFR aircraft and the only instruction we can give to a go-around on a visual approach to runway 33 is to make left traffic back to runway 33. Making right traffic to runway 33 is not possible due to high terrain less than three miles northeast of the airport. In this case; Aircraft X was instructed to make left traffic back to runway 33; as this is the only thing we can tell him to do. Due to the turn radius of Aircraft X; this instruction forced the plane to violate Class D airspace at both WHP and VNY. Coordination was a nightmare and luckily there were no VFR aircraft in the way; although that was just out of sheer luck. Additionally; Aircraft X was #1 in a sequence of 3. Our procedure says that with a visual approach; we must keep the aircraft in the pattern and re-sequence him to the airport. In order to accomplish this; in this case we would have had to take the aircraft about 10 to 15 miles out of our airspace in order to make him #3; as by this time Aircraft Y; who was originally following Aircraft X to the airport; was starting his base-to-final turn and converging with Aircraft X; who was now on a left downwind for Rwy 33. TRACON ended up pulling Aircraft Y out of the sequence and in doing so they had to spin another aircraft; who was five miles behind Aircraft Y. This plan had us moving two planes off the approach in order to get one in. There was no positive separation with the Class D airspace around us; no positive separation with the VFR aircraft within those Class D areas; and a dangerous converging situation with Aircraft X and Aircraft Y until the Aircraft Y was pulled out by TRACON and the aircraft behind him was spun.As I've said ad nauseam; we need to get DVA's at BUR. This situation is dangerous. Before it was deemed illegal due to not having a DVA; this procedure would have been handled by issuing the go-around aircraft a 270 heading and a climb to 4;000 (SID instructions). This flight path keeps the aircraft away from all Class D airspace and allows the aircraft to be handed off back to TRACON; allowing the aircraft to be safely re-sequenced into an appropriate spot. The way it is now; we have no positive control and no way to control the aircraft. Having to have TRACON spin two aircraft on approach is ridiculous; especially when they're in a dirty configuration. Forcing our aircraft to violate Class D airspace full of VFR aircraft we're not talking to is downright dangerous.
BUR Tower Controller reports of a go-around and aircraft following it that need to be sequenced due to the go-around. BUR does not have a DVA so aircraft are turned over to Approach Control for sequencing to the airport. This causes airspace violations and losses of separation.