FAA suspends controller who failed to respond to aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Thursday that it has suspended the air-traffic controller who failed to respond to radio communications from two commercial jets on final approach to Washington's Reagan National Airport early on Wednesday morning.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement that he is "personally outraged as a pilot" that the controller didn't contact the airplanes.

There has been speculation -- although no confirmation -- that the controller, whom the government would not identify, had fallen asleep. Efforts to contact the controller using a "shout line," which permits controllers at one facility to communicate with others during an emergency, were not successful.

Both planes landed safely, although one executed a "go-around procedure," flying around the airport because the pilots weren't sure what was happening.

Controllers have been known to fall asleep on the job, particularly in the dimly-lit confines of a radar room on the midnight shift.

But the DCA controller has extra responsibilities: the position is not only responsible for coordinating incoming, outgoing and ground traffic at the capital airport; it also monitors the prohibited airspace surrounding the White House and ensures that any of the dozens of helicopters that routinely transit the region don't crash into anything.

Audio released on the website liveATC.net shows the temporary confusion as an American Airlines pilot learns about the unmonitored tower frequency from the approach controller.

But their training paid off: pilots for the American plane and a United jet that landed shortly after announced their position and airspeed as they approached Runway 1, as is standard procedure when landing at an unmanned airport.

Visibility was good and the pilots were operating under visual flight rules, meaning that they could use visual cues to land and not rely on automated systems operated by the tower.

The union that represents air traffic controllers has long complained about under-staffing during the midnight shift, when only one controller is pushing tin. Yesterday, Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood ordered that at least two trained controllers be on duty there at all times.

Last night, the airport was unusually busy at a late hour because of weather-related flight delays.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Pilots and controllers who work at Reagan undergo extensive additional training and background checks because the airport is so close to the seat of power.