Says Towers Not Evacuated Because Controllers Unaware Of Approaching Tornado

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is on the offensive again over work rules -- this time it's radios in the work place.

In a release, the union claims the FAA’s September decision to ban weather radios, commercial radios and cell phones from its air traffic control facilities placed air traffic controllers in danger. It says the six personnel in the control tower cab and radar room at Daytona Beach International Airport didn't evacuate when a tornado came within 150 yards of the facility during a Christmas storm because they had no warning.

NATCA says this is the third such incident in three months.

According to the release, FAA officials recently briefed Daytona Beach controllers on a security order detailing procedures during hazardous weather conditions including: "Keep a watch on the skies and watch/listen to local weather."

NATCA says the FAA was negligent by banning all methods of monitoring local weather conditions as its own order requires.

"This is a situation that defies all measure of common sense and responsibility," said NATCA Executive Vice President Paul Rinaldi. "The FAA removed the radios as part of its imposed work rules in an effort to punish controllers. But it’s turning out to be a fateful decision that has serious, life or death consequences that clearly the agency foolishly overlooked. We call upon the FAA to immediately put back all radios and life-saving communications equipment."

NATCA's release says two controllers remained in the tower cab unable to see the approaching tornado because of heavy rain.

It also alleges because the tower controllers weren't aware of the approaching tornado, they didn't warn the pilots of a Comair regional jet they were vectoring to the airport. Purportedly, the tower controllers were handling the approaching aircraft because the storm took out power to the approach control facility.

NATCA says the tower controllers vectored the jet to approach behind the front passing over the airport which also took it around the tornado.

"Without access to critical severe weather information, the FAA is not only showing a blatant disregard for its employees but also for the flying public," said Kelly Raulerson, NATCA’s Daytona Beach facility representative. "Before this ban went into effect, we used to hear frequent tests of the Emergency Broadcast System on the radio in the tower that we kept on. We certainly needed to hear that familiar alert on Monday. Instead, we were cut off from the world and left in a very vulnerable position."

NATCA claims tornadoes also threatened both DuPage Air Traffic Control Tower in Illinois and Lincoln Air Traffic Control Tower in Nebraska back in September after the new FAA work rules went into effect. According to the release, a tornado came within two miles of the DuPage tower, but controllers never saw it because of heavy rain.

Allegedly, controllers notified the FAA supervisor on duty the next day saying a radio in the tower would have provided an alert.

NATCA says the supervisor replied, "You should have looked out the window."

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