Air Traffic Controllers Cite Fatigue, FAA Blames Shift Change

An error by air traffic controllers that nearly caused two flights to collide near Chicago last week are rare-staffing levels are adequate-according to federal officials-while  air traffic controllers complain of fatigue and work conditions. An announcement from the Federal Aviation Administration downplaying the incident came just before the Thanksgiving holiday, after an acknowledgement by the White House last week of concerns about US airspace congestion.

"These incidents are very, very rare," said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory, responding to questions about the near-collision between a United Express plane and a Midwest Airlines plane over northern Indiana on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. The November 13 incident occurred at a time when the airplanes were being directed by the Chicago Center, located in Aurora, Ill. A collision between the flights at about 25,000 feet was avoided when a cockpit safety device in one of the planes alerted pilots, according to the FAA. 

The flights were be followed by a controller who directed the Midwest Airlines plane flying east from Milwaukee into the path of the United Express jet heading west out of Greensboro, N.C. The planes came as close as 1.3 miles apart horizontally and 600 feet apart vertically, according to the FAA. While the FAA says there was adequate staffing-and this day there was little traffic-air traffic controllers argue fatigue due to six-day work weeks.

FAA air traffic directed nearly 50 million flights in 2005, the last full year for which the agency provided statistics, and committed about 1,500 errors - one for every 33,000 flights - she said. A 2003 FAA study that found 78 percent of errors happen when air traffic is light or average, with only 22 percent occurring when a controller is handling a higher workload of 11 to 15 flights, according to Cory.
 
"We're anticipating a very safe holiday travel season," she said. "We are currently in the safest period of aviation history, and we have every intention of keeping it that way."

Air traffic controllers in the Chicago region and elsewhere have said they were weary and more error-prone after having to work repeated six-day weeks.

"Any time you have people on six-day work weeks, it always increases," he said.

"It's like a major-league pitcher - they can only throw so many pitches. You reach a point of diminishing returns. It's cumulative," said Joseph Bellino, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers. Cory said the incident happened amid a shift change during a busy time at the radar facility, which she said is adequately staffed.

"Staffing is at the approved range for Chicago facilities," she said.

Jeff Richards of the Chicago Center controllers association disputed that and reiterated union assertions that the FAA was ill-prepared for the high number of retirements of seasoned controllers, resulting in a shortage. Richards said three controllers a day are retiring nationally and three per month locally. As a result of the stretched staffing, he said, the Chicago facility has had three errors since October 1, after having only one all last year.

"These controllers are fatigued from working such long stints and very few breaks compared to just three years ago," Richard told the AP.

FMI: www.natca.org, www.faa.gov