Radar Controller Reinstated After Retraining

Near-misses between airliners are not exclusive to crowded US airspace. BBC reports Ireland's Air Accident Investigators Unit has been investigating a close call between two airliners off the southeast coast of Ireland, reported to have happened last September.

One of the jets was operated by Irish discount carrier Ryanair, and was enroute from Stansted to Cork with 179 passengers. The other was operated by English travel agency Flightline, and was on its way from Faro, Portugal to Dublin with 164 passengers.

AAIU investigators blamed a "critical failure" on the part of two air traffic controllers for bringing the planes within dangerous proximity to each other, and failing to warn the pilots. Both pilots took appropriate action to avoid each other when alerted by their own, in-cockpit, traffic and collision avoidance systems.

BBC reports one radar controller and one planning controller had their licenses suspended temporarily. The planning controller was reinstated a short time later, while the radar controller underwent retraining before he was allowed to return.

The Irish Aviation Authority has no current statement on the matter, except to say all safety recommendations in the AAIU report on the incident have been accepted and implemented.

FMI: www.aaiu.ie/