Five Reported Incidents In May

The FAA is investigating a startling increase in near-miss incidents over three of New York's major airports, seven this year so far -- five of which occurred in May.

By definition, a near-miss is two aircraft in flight that come within 500 feet of each other. Aircraft are to stay at least 1,000 feet apart vertically and three miles horizontally, according to the FAA.

The five that occurred in May happened near John F. Kennedy Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, according to WCBS TV News:

• On May 1 near SWF, a JetBlue airliner reportedly came within 30 feet of another plane.
• On May 5 near EWR, a Continental Airlines jet came within 300 feet of a glider.
• On May 9, near EWR, a JetBlue jet came within 500 feet of another aircraft.
• On May 17 near JFK, an American Eagle commuter jet came within 200 feet of a helicopter.
• On May 21, near EWR, a Continental jet came within 200 feet of another aircraft.

The FAA said this information is based on Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems onboard the planes involved sounding alerts.

Officials were quick to assign blame for the too-close encounters. "The FAA has been penny wise and pound foolish on modernization, on controllers, (and) on technology," said New York Senator Charles Schumer.

According to the National Air Traffic Controller's Association, 1,000 controllers have left the field in the last two years, leaving those that remain fatigued.

"This is a concern because of fatigue. We have less people working, which means we are going to have more people working positions longer and traffic longer," said NATCA spokesman Dan Horwitz.

"Air travelers should be seriously concerned about their safety," said Phil Barbarello of the controllers union, saying more controllers need to be hired, according to the New York Post. "The margin of safety is as low as I have ever seen, and I've been with the agency for 23 years."

"This represents an unacceptable risk to the safety of air passengers and people on the ground," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan). Nadler also acknowledged he didn't know "whether these near-misses are the cause of too many planes in the sky or overworked and understaffed air traffic controllers."

JetBlue disputes claims about its involvement in two of the near-misses. While acknowledging TCAS alerts did sound in its planes, the carrier told the FAA the company's internal investigation indicated there was actually a greater distance between the aircraft, and has asked the FAA to investigate.

American Eagle spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said no passengers were ever in danger.

"There was no need for our pilots to take any evasive maneuvering," Huguely said.

FMI: www.panynj.gov/, www.senate.gov/~schumer, www.house.gov/nadler, www.faa.gov