AP: Controller blamed after jets nearly collide on runway

[question everything]

Controller blamed after jets nearly collide on runway

No one was hurt in Las Vegas incident

By Ken Ritter
ASSOCIATED PRESS

September 30, 2005

LAS VEGAS – A veteran air traffic controller was stripped of tower duty at McCarran International Airport while authorities investigate how two commercial airliners nearly collided on a runway, officials said yesterday.

No one was hurt in the Sept. 22 incident, and at least 100 feet separated the planes in what a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman characterized as a minor runway incursion but the airport director, Randall Walker, called a "near-miss."

(snip)

The FAA said it did not appear the pilots of America West Flight 539 to Cleveland and Air Canada Flight 593 from Toronto had to take evasive action.

(snip)

Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050930/news_1n30nearmiss.html

[valerief]

1. Drownie got a traffic controller job?

[FloridaPat]

2. If he did the planes wouldn't have missed.

[valerief]

3. Yeah, and no one would have noticed for a week.

[lcordero2]

4. was this one of the privatized towers?

[libnnc]

7. good question.

[FlaGranny]

5. For the past week or so

an ad has been running on TV about there being 1000 fewer air traffic controllers recently - dangerous understaffing.

[libnnc]

6. Unfortunately runways are very crazy

busy areas to have to control. Towers are horribly understaffed. The FAA has 30,000 paper pushers in management and won't push to hire more controllers. God forbid they cut some management positions to hire more ATCers.

[lanlady]

9. and FAA management

hates the ATC union with a red-hot passion. But in honesty the management needs the union for an all-purpose scapegoat as to why things at FAA never improve ("that damn union will never allow it" etc).

[libnnc]

11. and contract negotiations are coming up soon

FAA thinks it wants to play hardball with NATCA...watch for more stories involving ATCers in the media. It's going to get nasty I'm afraid.

My partner is a NATCA controller and she's getting union emails all the time telling of FAA bullshit.

[ToolTex]

8. Why should we think the FAA is any more competent than FEMA?

Why should we think any part of government is still functional?

[lanlady]

10. because for the time being, it's crony-free!

FAA and its parent agency, Transportation, are headed by folks who are hold-overs from Clinton. And it is just about the safest air traffic control system in the world, despite aging airports and equipment. Not a coincidence!