Personal Injury Blog

FAA Announces New Steps to Combat Air Traffic Controller Fatigue

July 13th, 2011
air traffic controller fatigue

The problem of air traffic controller fatigue

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced new recommendations for air traffic controllers to reduce the risk of fatigue on the job.  Air traffic controller fatigue has been linked to a number of recent near-plane crash incidents involving controllers who fell asleep on the job.

The Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that air traffic controllers use simple techniques to keep fatigue at bay.  Air traffic controllers are encouraged to read, or listen to the radio when they are feeling sleepy.  They will also be allowed to use sick or annual leave time if they feel too tired to work.

However, Los Angeles plane crash lawyers believe that the rules don’t extend far enough to actually deal with the problem of air traffic controller fatigue.  For instance, the Federal Aviation Administration makes no mention of allowing controlled napping on the job.  The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended controlled mapping for air traffic controllers to manage fatigue.

Los Angeles plane crash attorneys have been intrigued by the idea of using controlled napping to limit fatigue.  According to safety specialists, controlled napping can help air traffic controllers get the number of hours of sleep that they need to stay fresh and alert on the job.  The National Transportation Safety Board says that there is enough evidence to indicate that brief nap times of between 20 minutes to 30 minutes each can help an air traffic controller stay alert.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations for controlled napping have been supported by air traffic controller unions, which have been calling for breaks on overnight shifts for traffic controllers when there’s another traffic controller to take over.  However, the Federal Aviation Administration’s new proposals do not include controlled napping. In fact under the current rules, an air traffic controller caught napping on the job can be fired.

Safety issues involving air traffic controller fatigue have been especially pronounced this year.  Since April, the Federal Aviation Administration has made public seven reports involving air traffic controllers who fell asleep on the job.  The Federal Aviation Administration knows of at least two other instances where traffic controllers did not respond to attempts by pilots to contact them.

In at least one case at Reagan National Airport in Washington, a pilot was forced to land his plane without any assistance from the air traffic controller who was fast asleep.  In Reno, Nevada, a near disaster situation was averted when an air ambulance that was trying to land at the airport, had to land on its own without any instructions from the air traffic controller.  In the Reno case, the air traffic controller was suspended.

The fallout from these incidents of air traffic controller fatigue has been strong.  The Federal Aviation Administration official in charge of air traffic control issues has since resigned.

 

Posted by Robert Reeves at 11:05 am: No comments

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