Near-miss aircraft accidents are becoming more common in the United States as air traffic controllers say a shortage of air traffic controllers is pushing them physically and mentally to the brink.
In the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, “significant” air traffic control lapses rose 65 percent from a year ago to 503 incidents, according to internal Federal Aviation Administration data reported Saturday by The New York Times.
Citing records and interviews with current and former air traffic controllers, the Times uncovered incidents in which air traffic controllers slept and drank on the job, fights broke out in control towers and there were complaints about dismal working conditions, including black mold and biting insects.
Controllers say staff shortages often force them to work 10-hour shifts six days a week on irregular schedules, leaving them exhausted and mentally depressed and turning to alcohol to cope.
In a statement, the FAA said the lengthy Times report “does not reflect the high level of safety of our nation’s airspace.”
“Flying has never been safer, thanks in large part to our air traffic controllers.” “We encourage them to report safety concerns and incidents without fear of reprisal,” the agency added.
In October, Michael G. Whitaker became FAA administrator. One of his most pressing tasks was dealing with the increase in close calls between planes at major airports
From 2011 to 2022, the number of fully certified controllers fell by more than 9 percent even as traffic increased, the Times said.
According to staffing targets set by the FAA and the union that represents air traffic controllers, 99 percent of the nation’s air traffic control sites are understaffed.
Under the relaxed guidelines preferred by the FAA, only 63 percent of facilities are considered understaffed.
To make up for the shortage, controllers at 40 percent of the country’s facilities must work six days a week at least once a month, and some of them must do so every week, according to the union.
While overtime pay is a nice complement to controller pay, which is typically in the six-figure range, some controllers say they have been pushed to the breaking point.
“We recently had a heart attack, several panic attacks (including my own), people who lost their medicine due to depression, and some who simply left the FAA because it got so bad,” wrote a Jacksonville air traffic controller in a confidential security report obtained by the Times in an open records request.
“Who knows how many other stress-related physical and mental problems arise that we don’t even know about yet,” the controller added. “This place is breaking people.” We need help. I’ll say it again: SOS!!’
Ashley Smith, who worked as a controller in Atlanta for more than a decade, told the Times that she had seen an increase in errors at her facility, which had 77 fully certified controllers, instead of the targeted number of 110.
As morale fell, arguments and even physical altercations broke out in the control room, she said.
After a controller error led to a near miss between two Delta planes, Smith emailed a complaint to a senior FAA official, writing, “Staffing is ridiculous and getting worse.”
“To what level of fatigue is the agency trying to push this workforce before identifying a serious safety issue?” the email added. Three months later, Smith quit the job.
In October. Two airliners nearly crashed shortly after a commercial jet took off from Portland International Airport during a storm, as seen in a virtual replica
A simulation shows a February incident in Austin, Texas, when a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Boeing 737 came within about 115 feet in poor visibility. The air traffic controller had allowed the FedEx plane to land and the Southwest plane to depart on the same runway
The FAA said in a statement that it is “deeply committed to the health and well-being of our air traffic controllers and all of our employees.”
“We make it clear to our employees that they can and should report incidents without risk of reprisal,” noting that the behavior in the Times report “is unacceptable and has already been addressed.”
“Nothing is more important than the safety of everyone who flies in our national airspace system,” the agency added.
In October, Michael G. Whitaker became FAA administrator after a career in leadership roles in both the private sector and the agency.
One of his most pressing tasks was dealing with the increase in close calls between planes at major airports.
In August, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet were less than 100 feet apart in San Diego.
The FAA said an air traffic controller cleared the Cessna to land on a runway even though Southwest Flight 2493 had already been instructed to taxi to the same runway.
A similar near-collision occurred in Austin, Texas, in February, when a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Boeing 737 came within about 115 feet in poor visibility.
The air traffic controller had allowed the FedEx plane to land and the Southwest plane to depart on the same runway.
The FAA said in March it was taking steps to improve its air traffic control operation, which is experiencing a shortage of staff.
Last month, an independent review panel issued a series of recommendations to improve safety in the nation’s airspace.
The FAA said it would take immediate action based on several recommendations, including measures to expand hiring and training capacity for air traffic controllers.
“Aviation is safe because we are constantly looking for ways to improve,” Whitaker said in response to the report. “The independent safety review team made some excellent recommendations and we are adopting some of them immediately.”