Air Controller Error Leads To Close Call

Two Planes Flew Too Close Together Over Illinois; Second Miscue At Chicago Radar Facility

(AP)  Another error by controllers at an air traffic center put planes too close to each other over central Illinois, but they were never in danger of colliding, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

It was the second error by controllers at the FAA's Chicago Center radar facility in Aurora reported this week.

The Boeing 737 jet came within 3.6 miles horizontally of a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 about 20 miles from Springfield on Wednesday morning, FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said Thursday.

Minimum spacing between planes is 5 miles horizontally or 1,000 feet vertically.

The 737, operated by Southwest Airlines, flew to Chicago from St. Louis, and the other plane traveled to Farmington, New Mexico, from West Lafayette, Indiana, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday on its Web site.

Molinaro did not know how many passengers were on the planes.

A trainee's instructions caused the airplanes to be "closer than they should have been," but the planes had already passed each other when they flew within 3.6 miles, Molinaro said.

Both the trainee and the supervising controller were taken off duty and sent for retraining, standard procedure, Molinaro said.

A United Express jet headed to Lexington, Kentucky, from O'Hare International Airport and a C130 military jet got within 3.17 miles of each other Sunday near Kankakee, the FAA said Monday. The experienced controller and trainee involved in that incident were also sent for retraining.

Controllers in the Chicago region have said they are weary and more error-prone after having to work repeated six-day weeks due to staffing level changes. The FAA has said that staffing levels are adequate despite controllers' complaints.

"Quite simply, we do not have enough experienced controllers to handle the workload in our airspace with the margin of safety that is demanded from us every minute of every day," Jeff Richards, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association's representative at the Chicago Center, said Thursday in a statement.

Staffing was adequate on Wednesday, Molinaro said.

[mike71067]

You couldn''t pay me enough to work as an air traffic controller. Really. There''s no sum of money that would change my mind. There''s so much that can go wrong at any given moment.

[micma-2009]

Maybe we could have spent a little of the two trillion dollars we''re borrowing and spending in Iraq on updating our nations air traffic control system?

[lf1952]

Again we see sensational headlines with little basis in fact. 3.6 miles may violate rules, but is hardly a "close call". I had 737 vectored up the tail of the Mooney I was flying after we both departed Newark - that separation was 1/2 mile, same altitude - THAT might be a near miss, but 3 1/2 miles ?

[alphaa10-2009]

The FAA keeps talking about automation of traffic control, but all we find are reports of human stress, overwork-- and near misses. Something does not add up...

NASA released recently a report which concluded the national air traffic system has had many more near misses than previously believed-- apparently, the news has been kept from the public for fear it would alarm people. It should.

The FAA can claim "everything is under control" but this appears ungrounded in fact.

The lack of a working, in-progress overhaul of the national system, and continued reports of controller understaffing and job stress indicate more of "Katrina"-like thinking from the FAA chief, a second-level (via Transportation Secretary) Bush appointee.

Do we need a disaster to wake people up in the Bush administration? Heckuva job!

[dubby12]

Like everything else $$$$$ or the greed/need for it has once again sidelined key personnel. In this case dangerouslty so. Let''s stop worshipping the "dollar" and provide services that hinge upon helping NOT upon how musch one can save.

[gliderguy52]

Remember one thing, it was reagan that busted the air traffic controllers union. That is how the right wing respect people that have to work for a living.

Posted by rharrin1 at 12:47 PM : Dec 21, 2007

Remember, in 1980, ATC controllers were were under contract with the FAA. The wording of that contract made them a "National security resource", and did not allow them to strike. Each controller was warned that he or she would be relived of his/her position if they chose to strike. This was made very clear to each controller by the FAA management. Even after they chose to strike, President Reagan gave them a chance to return to work, and indicated they would loose their jobs if they did not. Many chose to return. Those that did not, were fired. Sounds to me that they called the president''s bluff, and found that he was NOT bluffing.