Date: 201403
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.TRACON, US
Aircraft: Cessna Stationair/Turbo Stationair 6
Flight plan: IFR
Flight phase: Descent
Airspace: Class C ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Approach
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Other / Unknown
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control; Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Procedure; Human Factors; Airspace Structure; Airport
Primary problem: Ambiguous

Narrative: The C206 was a ZZZ arrival from the south.  During this time our primary runway was out of service.  The only runway we had intersected with ZZZ1 final.  During the time leading up to the C206 arriving we were extremely busy trying to interweave the final between ZZZ1 and ZZZ and as a result many aircraft were holding both in ZZZ2's airspace as well as our airspace.  As soon as I had control of the C206 from the previous sector I vectored him to the northeast to join the downwind and he acknowledged and told me he had 13 minutes of fuel left.  This was his first mention of low fuel.  At this time we currently had at least two other minimum fuel; possibly emergency fuel aircraft at the time already and from his point it was likely he would not have enough fuel to make it to ZZZ. I explained to him I was going to vector him to ZZZ3 and asked if he had the approach plates.  Both of his responses were vague; I believe due to language barrier; but he complied with the vector so I just read him the approach plate information slowly to him.  At one point I resorted to giving him the localizer frequency in Spanish to which he finally read the frequency back correctly.  He initially went through the localizer and was not stabilized but at this point he only had approximately 5 minutes of fuel and I elected to continue vectoring him as close to the localizer final as possible. I descended him to the MVA and once he was on the localizer he continued to descend below his assigned altitude.  As the low altitude alarm went off I looked at the approach plate to see what altitude he needed to be at but almost immediately he reported the field in sight.  I cleared him for a visual approach; cleared him to land; and switched him to ZZZ3 Tower.  He landed safely with from what I can only assume; less than 3 minutes of fuel based on the information he initially gave me. This whole operation could have been handled better; and more safely if we had known the aircraft was low on fuel; at the point he told me he had 13 minutes of fuel I declared him an emergency myself and did everything I could to get him pointed at the closest usable runway to give him a fighting chance of making an airport. Unfortunately aircraft dangerously low on fuel has been normal for aircraft arriving ZZZ airspace in the last two weeks due to our primary runway being out of service.  Mostly due to the wind favored runway intersecting with another busy airport's final creating a VERY complex situation.  This could be mitigated if we at least could use the ILS to the closed runway and then sidestep to our smaller parallel runway and then circle others to the primary runway.  This would prevent the finals from mixing with ZZZ1.  The 7110.65 specifically states we can still use an approach to a closed runway if not having it would adversely affect the operation.  I believe I speak on behalf of the entire facility; not having that ILS has created an adverse affect on not only us; but all of the users as well.  Tech Ops turned off that ILS when the runway was closed and claim it's mandatory to be turned off for the closure and thus far have not turned it back on.




Synopsis: ZZZ Approach Controller describes a low fuel emergency caused by delays due to runway construction and the inability to use the localizer to the closed runway with a side step maneuver to the right runway due to interpretation of 7110.65 rules.