For the third time in almost as many weeks , reports have surfaced of an air traffic control falling asleep at his post . This meter , in Reno , a aesculapian plane carrying a mad rider had to land without tower assistance in the other minute of Wednesday morning . Something ’s seriously incorrect here .
First came Bible that an ATC tug at Reagan National wasabandoned for at least half an hour . Then report that aKnoxville air dealings controller took a nap — on purpose — while seven aircraft attempted to land . And now the Reno incident , a 16 minute disruption in insurance coverage that came at 2 AM , when an air ambulance needed to deliver its consignment to doctors as shortly as humanly potential .
That plane touched down safely , thanks to physical contact with Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control . And the other incident did n’t result in anything more than incommodiousness and worry . But pushing tin is a staggeringly sensitive line , one that ’s vitally of import to the animation thousands of the great unwashed every single 24-hour interval . And any accident that results from ATC being out of speck would be a disastrous one .
So what ’s the fix ? The FAA has in the end mandate that the midnight shift be manned by a minimum of two people at every towboat that operates overnight . And meanwhile there will be investigations and enquiry . Which may well be enough ! Still , allow ’s hope they ’re being too overly to a fault cautious . We ’ve been fortunate so far — but we should n’t be press our luck . [ LVJR ]
Air traffic ascendancy
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