US

Update: FAA Suspends Sleeping Air Traffic Controller in DC

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation‘s top aviation official says he’s suspended a control tower supervisor while investigating why no controller was available to aid two planes that landed at Washington’s Reagan airport earlier this week.

Update: FAA Suspends Sleeping Air Traffic Controller in DC

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt said Thursday in a statement that the controller has been suspended from his operational duties. He said he was “personally outraged” that the supervisor – the lone controller on duty in the airport tower at the time – failed to meet his duties.

An aviation official who spoke on condition of anonymity because an investigation is underway said the supervisor fell asleep.

Federal authorities are reviewing the staffing of air traffic control towers nationwide after two passenger jets were unable to reach a controller at Washington’s Reagan National Airport to guide their late-night landings.

An aviation official said that an air traffic supervisor – the lone controller on duty around midnight on Tuesday when the incident occurred – had fallen asleep. The official spoke on grounds of anonymity because an investigation is ensuing.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood LaHood directed the Federal Aviation Administration to launch a nationwide inquiry into airport tower staffing.

Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said Wednesday that the pilots of the two planes were in contact with controllers at a regional FAA facility about 40 miles away in Warrenton, Va. They landed safely.

He said that after pilots were unable to raise the airport tower at Reagan by radio, they asked controllers in Warrenton to call the tower. Repeated calls from the regional facility to the tower went unanswered, Knudson added.

In response to the incident, LaHood told the FAA to put two air traffic controllers on the midnight shift at Reagan.

“It is not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical air space,” LaHood said. Reagan National is located in Northern Virginia just across the Potomac River from Washington.

For many years, air traffic at Reagan was severely restricted between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. to limit noise in surrounding communities, noted Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, an industry-funded group that promotes aviation safety. Today there is more air traffic at night because jets are quieter, but there are still so few landings after midnight that it may be reasonable to have only one controller on duty, he said.

“It’s not outrageous for the agency to avoid putting a second six-figure employee into a tower where they may only work a dozen airplanes in a shift,” said Voss, a former air traffic controller.

NTSB is gathering information on the occurrence to decide whether to open a formal investigation, Knudson said.

Regional air traffic facilities handle aircraft within roughly a 50 mile radius of an airport, but landings, takeoffs and planes within about three miles of an airport are handled by controllers in the airport tower.

The planes involved were American Airlines flight 1012, a Boeing 737 with 91 passengers and 6 crew members on board, and United Airlines flight 628T, an Airbus A320 with 63 passengers and five crew members.

“The NTSB is conducting an investigation and we are doing our own review,” United spokesman Charles Hobart said in an email.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency “is looking into staffing issues and whether existing procedures were followed appropriately.” The agency didn’t identify the air traffic supervisor involved or say whether he had been placed on leave.

There was probably little safety risk since the pilots would have used a radio frequency for the airport tower to advise nearby aircraft of their intention to land and to make sure that no other planes also intended to land at that time, aviation safety experts said. At that time of night, air traffic would have been light, they said.

Also, controllers at the regional facility, using radar, would have been able to advise the pilots of other nearby planes, experts said.

The primary risk would have been if there was equipment on the runway when the planes landed, they said.

But the incident raises serious questions about controller fatigue, a longstanding safety concern, said John Goglia, a former NTSB board member.

“You have to watch your schedules to make sure (controllers) have adequate rest,” Goglia said. “It’s worse when nothing is going on. When it’s busy, you have to stay engaged. When it’s quiet, all they have to be is a little bit tired and they’ll fall asleep.”

Comments (64)

1 2
  • JohnnyJT South Philly
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 4:24pm

    Why where is the Union to get his job back?

    Report Post » South Philly Boy  
  • 1911HeadBanger
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 4:11pm

    Just another one of those Unionized Government Workers.

    Report Post » 1911HeadBanger  
  • MistaB
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 4:07pm

    That guy is lucky no one was killed. He should have been fired, not suspended.

    Report Post »  
  • psst
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:36pm

    What the hell is this country coming to. Suspend a guy for taking a nap.
    The constitution states that everyone has a right to sleep.Read it again, take it our of the wste basket and re-read it again for the first time. It’s in there..
    For heaven’s sake. The FAA is acting like someone folks could have gotten killed.
    Geez. But it could have been worse, they could have fired him.
    The SCOTUS would have acted more quickly on his firing than they are doing w/ SoetoroCare.

    Report Post »  
  • Barb1954
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:34pm

    What happened when the Controller had to go to the bathroom? What happened if the Controller suddenly was severely ill or even unconcious? What was their contingency plan for those incidences?

    You can’t tell me these people are THIS INCOMPETENT?! Well, yeah, after all, it’s a Gubmint Agency!

    Report Post »  
  • Tyr
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:16pm

    Let’s see. I was fired once for sleeping on the job as a night clerk at a motel desk. I was unable to collect unemployment benefits because the State decided that the cause of my firing was justified by my employer. I lost my car because I couldn’t make the payments. After 3 month of looking for a job (on foot) I lost my apartment and lived with friends and on the street for nine months. I don’t recall my job description involving the safety of other humans. Suspended just don’t cut it with me. Fired, jailed or ostracised from main stream society would be more appropriate. That’s what I recieved for sleeping on the job.

    Report Post » Tyr  
  • Schteveo
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:58pm

    So with ALL the money we spend on gub’ment employees, there was ONE ATC on duty!? At Reagan?

    The guy who scheduled that should be out TOO!!

    Report Post »  
  • PineyWoods
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:55pm

    About time to suspend POTUS for sleeping on the job.

    Report Post » PineyWoods  
    • Blackhawk1
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 4:24pm

      Is getting locked out of the Oval office a hint that Obama is considered non-essential? This is from USA Today.

      “Mr. Obama confidently strode along the colonnade, then turned and pulled open a set of french doors leading to the Oval Office complex.

      The problem was apparently somebody didn’t tell the staff that the president was coming back to work. The doors were locked.”

      Report Post » Blackhawk1  
  • EqualJustice
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:51pm

    WHY are they intent on hiding his identity? Who was this guy?

    Report Post » EqualJustice  
  • GetUpOnTheWheel
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:44pm

    I could NEVER be an air traffic controller..I’d be dozing off all over the place.
    Me = like my naps.

    Report Post » GetUpOnTheWheel  
  • Cdmfl
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:43pm

    So he took a few xanax. He’s union, no problem, he gets promotion & raise. Back to work tomorrow.

    Report Post »  
  • Cabo King
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:01pm

    well if he belongs to a Union, no wories, he’ll get a raise when he comes back!!

    Report Post » Cabo King  
    • ThreeDogs
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:50pm

      If he’s a supervisor as has been reported, he is NOT union.

      Report Post »  
  • mrsmileyface
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:49pm

    At this point I have no confidence in the FAA NTSB and the Air Traffic Controllers Union.

    Report Post » mrsmileyface  
  • ProgressiveLiberalMarine
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:46pm

    Maybe he should be a congressman if he wants to work in D.C. and not do his job.

    Report Post »  
  • grannyjojo
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:41pm

    As someone who has worked a job where it is ESSENTIAL to stay awake and have worked the night shift for over 20 years I understand both sides of this issue. I have had trouble staying awake numerous times and sometimes it was all I could do to stay awake. Just like the article stated when you are busy its not a big deal but when things are quiet is CAN become a big deal. We are pre-programmed to be awake during the day and sleep at night. Our bio-rhythms (circadium) really want us to sleep at night and when you work the night shift for long periods of time it really screws up your health. I personally love the night shift for a lot of reasons but it has dealt me with medical problems over time. I now have chronic insomnia and a host of other medical problems that my doctor says is directly correlated with working the night shift for so long. I believe in instances like this they should ALWAYS have 2 air traffic controllers on duty, it doesn’t matter how slow it gets. It only takes ONE instance of nodding off to have something of a catastrophic nature to happen. When you factor in the safety issue that alone should demand that there be at least 2 people on duty at all times. The cost is truely of little consequence when you think of what could occur with just one person on duty and then nodding off at the wrong time. I truely feel sorry for the person that this happened to, because if he/she is a good employee I’m quite sure this happened when least expected. This person did not go to work with the intention of nodding off (and no matter how much sleep you get before work) due to our circadium rhythms this could happen at any time with no notice that you are becoming so sleepy you could nod off. People who have never worked the night shift or who have rarely worked the night shift just do not realize the toll it takes on people who DO work that shift consistently. I also know that it only takes one time for something bad to happen. There is really (as far as I’m aware of) no good way to avoid this besides the fact that there should be more then one person on duty to keep each other awake. Of course it always boils down to money and they just don;’t want to shell out more money then they have to (when you only look at how many personnel are needed to ACTUALLY do the job.) I‘m so very glad nothing bad happened in this instance and all things being equal they shouldn’t fire this person but realize that this can and does happen when staffing is not adequate for the time of day/night it is.

    “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess” God bless

    Report Post »  
    • ThreeDogs
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:48pm

      Working night shifts all the time is one thing, but for a lot of controllers their schedule is 2 swing shifts followed by 2 day shifts followed by the mid (graveyard) shift. Try doing that for 20 years!

      Report Post »  
    • pitter43
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 7:35pm

      I worked that exact shift with base police in Moracco and I can’t tell you how much it takes out of you.

      Report Post »  
  • XinTX
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:30pm

    In the private sector you’d be canned immediately for sleeping on the job. Wonder if this one was suspended with pay?

    Report Post » XinTX  
  • Drum Man
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:30pm

    I didn’t bring the brains… I thought you brought the brains. Oh well. I’ll just nap then.

    Report Post » Drum Man  
  • LadyIzShy
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:27pm

    lets hope its at the very least UNPAID leave.. if planes had crashed he would be in jail

    Report Post » LadyIzShy  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:27pm

    What makes us believe the following:
    1. That he/she was even IN the tower in the first place?
    2. That he/she if in the tower was truly asleep?
    3. How many people do you know can sleep through a loud speaker calling your name in the middle of the night?
    4. Something else is afoot….. yet another “dry run”? Couple this with the “events” at Miami International last night and this a.m……………………..
    5. Are we awake yet?

    Report Post »  
    • Showtime
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:31pm

      ABSOLUTELY! You hit the nail on the head every time.

      Report Post » Showtime  
  • chickenlittle
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:24pm

    “You have to watch your schedules to make sure (controllers) have adequate rest,” Goglia said. “It’s worse when nothing is going on. When it’s busy, you have to stay engaged. When it’s quiet, all they have to be is a little bit tired and they’ll fall asleep.”
    **********************
    Really??????? By that logic, any security guard has a right to fall asleep when it gets boring? If nothing else, a “six figure salary” should include the ability to not fall asleep for eight hours of shift time, no matter what’s going on. And yes, FIRE, not suspend and then look for “reasons” this person couldn’t do the job… or rationalize by saying it was not that big a safety issue. Jeez.

    Report Post » chickenlittle  
    • Showtime
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:33pm

      His statement didn’t ring any truer with you than it did me.

      Report Post » Showtime  
  • Showtime
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:22pm

    “You have to watch your schedules to make sure (controllers) have adequate rest,” Goglia said. “It’s worse when nothing is going on. When it’s busy, you have to stay engaged. When it’s quiet, all they have to be is a little bit tired and they’ll fall asleep.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Commercial drivers of 18-wheel combination vehicles get tired, too. That’s the reason an eight-hour break is required after 10 hours of driving. They can split it up — four hours sleep, five hours of driving, four hours sleep, five hours driving. Sooner or later, they have to eat, shower, etc., and wait for a load to pull, so they can’t just keep up the 4-5-4-5 routine forever.

    What sort of regs apply to air traffic controllers in that respect? How long are their shifts? How much time do they have off between shifts? Goglia’s statement sounds like so much BS to me!

    Report Post » Showtime  
    • ThreeDogs
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 2:45pm

      Controllers can only work 10 hours in a day and must have 8 hours rest between shifts. Oftentimes, a controller will get off work at 2PM and have to be back to work another 8 hour shift that night starting at 10PM. That’s an 8 hour break, but it sure wreaks havoc on a person.

      If the controller had to step out of the tower for “physiological reasons” he would surely have notified Approach Control, but as we know, that didn’t happen.

      Report Post »  
    • mike343
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:40pm

      8 to 10 hour shifts if they are not forced into OT. 8 Hours off between shifts. However most controllers do not live at the base of the tower or at the airport so by the time they get home if they go to sleep imminently when they get home they MIGHT if they are lucky get 5 or 6 hours of actual rest.

      The job at a busy airport is more stressful than most people realize. Forced OT, constant train of trainees (most of whom are sub par these days) who are working on your ticket not theirs, departure procedures, arrival procedures, types of planes there performance and there wake turbulence which is a factor in how closely another plane can follow, the correct “line up” on the ground so you can pump out the departures (the ground controller gives the local controller a good lineup planes depart fast but the ground controller gives the local controller a bad line up and the airport can grind to a near stop), “flow” which is just one factor to think about for your departures and “line up”, runway and taxiway closures that can change minute by minute, emergency’s, consider all “what if’s” make sure there is always an out if one plane is the line makes a mistake or has a emergency, you can not tell a plane on short final doing 120 + knots to “hold it right there” because the knuckle head sitting on the runway is not actually rolling for take off or the other knuckle head at the end of the runway is doing his post landing check list ON THE RUNWAY, the list is almost endless that you need to think about before you clear any plane to take off or land.

      I am not a controller I am a pilot and I know several controllers and have been in the tower watching. It is mind boggling to say the least. How they do it is beyond my ability to understand. They listen to the pilot in one ear, listen to the other controllers in the other ear take the information process it and give instructions that keep us safe all at the same time. It is simply amazing.

      That said should the controller have fallen asleep? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Should he/she be fired? Probably not. Days off without pay probably the best action. What were the circumstances? How long had he/she been on duty? Forced OT? Had a trainee? Just one controller on duty (that just sounds stupid). I could go on and on but to just fire what may be a good and experienced controller without getting all the facts is not a good idea. Again I am not a controller and never have been but I know it is harder than people realize.

      Report Post »  
  • bz0fgf
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:22pm

    Thank god he won’t lose his job. It’s a union job. O’suckass and his department of bastards will make sure of it. I’m sure his environment is what caused him to fall asleep and not personal irresponsibility.

    Report Post » bz0fgf  
    • Christo
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:55pm

      He’s not in the union if he is a supervisor. Supervisor’s are considered part of management and are not actually considered Air Traffic Controllers, but Front Line Managers, kind of a hybrid of a controller and management. The union will try to bury him. The FAA however, will more than likely promote him to a job in an office in the headquarters situated in Washington D.C. probably getting paid to travel the country to talk about fatigue and safety. The worst of the worst are always promoted.

      Report Post »  
  • hauschild
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:19pm

    Reminds me of the joke I always had to listen to when I worked for the county highway department during summers in college……

    Q. What’s orange and sleeps three?
    A. A county truck

    Report Post »  
    • Showtime
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:29pm

      Classic!

      Reminds me of the
      orange barrels – state tree/Schreiber (sp?) eggs
      flagman’s flag – state flag
      orange cones – state flower

      Report Post » Showtime  
  • Showtime
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:16pm

    Now he can take a REAL nap!

    Report Post » Showtime  
  • unsalvageable.org
    Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:12pm

    Suspeneded???He should be FIRED!!

    Report Post »  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:21pm

      Thousands of Union Thug Air Controllers merge on Washington to Protest his suspension, Wait, What Oh Yeah I forgot, Ronaldus Magnus Crushed the Union

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • lovenfl3
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:21pm

      That is pretty messed up. Of course the liberal answer is to hire more people. The liberal mindset will never cease to amaze me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs4X2RDvw5E

      Report Post » lovenfl3  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:27pm

      Somebody should wake him and let him know.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 1:32pm

      I hope the NTSB does have him fired, and barred from returning to the job of flight controller for the rest of his life.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • LOVEFREEDOM47
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:08pm

      He will be back on the job in just a few weeks. Unions protect there members, right or wrong, and there’s your problem.

      Report Post »  
    • J.C. McGlynn
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:16pm

      Unions at their best (worst!).

      Report Post » J.C. McGlynn  
    • psst
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 3:47pm

      Fired!! ya gots to be kidding.
      The guy was hired because every government jobs must have a quota.
      Ya know, so many of this so many of that, so many of this colour, so many of that colour, so many happy gals,so many happy fellers,
      The problemo was this one night when one O those quota person was on duty by himself.
      This was the night the deaf guy was on. Now tomorrow, it will be the blind guy.
      You should see it around the tower on the night when the double dumb guy is on.
      Um, he‘s the idiot who can’t speak. He makes sign language to the pilots in the cockpits
      Ain‘t nutt’n like having a government job.

      Report Post »  
    • Blackhawk1
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 4:12pm

      He will be back to work in about 2 weeks and now he will have a buddy with him in the tower to take a nap with. It’s amazing how liberals think, controller falls asleep on duty so what do they do instead of firing him? Put 2 of them in the tower to do the job of 1 essentially doubling the cost. No wonder the country is broke.

      Report Post » Blackhawk1  
    • sumatra
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 4:28pm

      I‘d sit there and make sure the other fellow doesn’t fall asleep for 40 Grand. Government waste again!

      Report Post »  
    • jds7171
      Posted on March 24, 2011 at 5:50pm

      To bad it wasn’t in the military where a guy falls asleep on post. He gets pistol whipped. I am suprised the pilots didn’t do that anyway. Put there lives in danger.

      Report Post »  
    • mobynowak
      Posted on March 25, 2011 at 11:12pm

      If only there was a union comrade at his side so he could sleep in peace. Maybe they could take turns. One sleeps while the other watches the empty skies. Or maybe, they could simply not show up for work.

      Report Post »  
    • Tundra4x4
      Posted on March 26, 2011 at 11:56am

      Suspended – with or without pay? Fire him and the supervisior!!!!!

      Report Post »  
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