The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended an air traffic supervisor after "totally appropriate" actions brought a Southwest Airlines flight too close to a small private plane over Florida on Sunday.
Bloomberg News describes the incident, writing "the controller in central Florida asked the Southwest crew at 12,000 feet to fly closer to a single-engine Cirrus aircraft to check on a crew that had been out of radio contact, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement today."
The Associated Press says "the Southwest crew agreed, was directed toward the (Kissimmee-bound) Cirrus and reported the aircraft in sight, the agency said."
USA TODAY adds "the pilots on Southwest Flight 821 were so close to the single-engine plane at about 5 p.m. on Sunday that they could see two people in the cockpit, the FAA said."
The Orlando Sentinel says "both planes landed safely. But the agency said the Sunday incident brought a Boeing 737, Southwest Airlines Flight 821 from Phoenix, too close to the private plane, a Cirrus SR22, violating FAA rules about safe separations between aircraft."
The Southwest flight had 137 passengers and a crew of five, according to CNN.
"By placing this passenger aircraft in close proximity to another plane, the air traffic controller compromised the safety of everyone involved. This incident was totally inappropriate," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says in a statement. "We are reviewing the air traffic procedures used here and making sure everyone understands the protocols for contacting unresponsive aircraft."
As for the pilots involved in the incident, Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King tells The Dallas Morning News they've been placed "on paid leave pending the conclusion of the investigation."
Of course, for air traffic controllers, the incident is the second in about a week.
USA TODAY's Alan Levin writes it "comes after a supervisor controlling traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport fell asleep for at least 24 minutes shortly after midnight on March 23. Two airliners landed at the airport before the controller was awakened, the National Transportation Safety Board said."
The Wall Street Journal adds:
Taken together, the incidents indicate "there is something basically wrong" with the mind set and discipline of portions of the FAA's controller work force. "Supervisors establish the tone and the culture," said John Goglia, a former safety board member, but the two events "raise questions about their ability to think and appropriately separate aircraft."
Bloomberg News describes the incident, writing "the controller in central Florida asked the Southwest crew at 12,000 feet to fly closer to a single-engine Cirrus aircraft to check on a crew that had been out of radio contact, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement today."
The Associated Press says "the Southwest crew agreed, was directed toward the (Kissimmee-bound) Cirrus and reported the aircraft in sight, the agency said."
USA TODAY adds "the pilots on Southwest Flight 821 were so close to the single-engine plane at about 5 p.m. on Sunday that they could see two people in the cockpit, the FAA said."
The Orlando Sentinel says "both planes landed safely. But the agency said the Sunday incident brought a Boeing 737, Southwest Airlines Flight 821 from Phoenix, too close to the private plane, a Cirrus SR22, violating FAA rules about safe separations between aircraft."
The Southwest flight had 137 passengers and a crew of five, according to CNN.
"By placing this passenger aircraft in close proximity to another plane, the air traffic controller compromised the safety of everyone involved. This incident was totally inappropriate," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says in a statement. "We are reviewing the air traffic procedures used here and making sure everyone understands the protocols for contacting unresponsive aircraft."
As for the pilots involved in the incident, Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King tells The Dallas Morning News they've been placed "on paid leave pending the conclusion of the investigation."
Of course, for air traffic controllers, the incident is the second in about a week.
USA TODAY's Alan Levin writes it "comes after a supervisor controlling traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport fell asleep for at least 24 minutes shortly after midnight on March 23. Two airliners landed at the airport before the controller was awakened, the National Transportation Safety Board said."
The Wall Street Journal adds:
Taken together, the incidents indicate "there is something basically wrong" with the mind set and discipline of portions of the FAA's controller work force. "Supervisors establish the tone and the culture," said John Goglia, a former safety board member, but the two events "raise questions about their ability to think and appropriately separate aircraft."
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