Citation V/Ultra/Encore (C560)
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Procedure
HTO Tower is a temporary Tower that recently opened and since its rushed opening there has been a myriad of land line communication problems between the Tower and TRACON. We are currently communicating with the Tower via telephone line at the FLM desk to the single controller operated Tower. My loss of separation occurred when a UH60 was on the VOR A Approach to HTO and after being cleared for the approach and switched to the Tower he reversed his course and started heading outbound on the VOR. When I noticed the course reversal I turned a Citation V to a parallel course to avoid a loss of separation and advised the FLM to call HTO Tower and tell them to cancel the UH60's approach clearance and give him back to me. I then cleared the Citation V for the visual approach to Runway 28 and switched him to HTO Tower frequency. A few minutes later HTO Tower call the FLM and advised him they were on Runway 10 and he relayed that information to me; and at the same time I told the supervisor to tell the Tower to have the Citation V to go over the top of the airport and enter a left downwind to avoid the UH60 but the FLM advised that the Tower had hung up the phone. I then witnessed the Citation V enter a right downwind for Runway 10 and come in close proximity to the UH60. The HTO Tower should not be operational until they develop a suitable means of two way communication with the TRACON. When the communication system fails the airspace should be reverted back to Class G airspace as it is when the Tower is not open. A cell phone could be used in case of emergency however the controllers in the Tower were using as there main source of communication.
An N90 Controller described a conflict involving traffic at HTO. The reporter claims that flawed land line communications equipment between the two facilities was the primary causal factor.