Schumer to FAA: Don't Let What Happened in Lexington Happen in New York

Schumer To FAA: Don't Let What Happened In Lexington Happen In New York

Last Year a Short Staffed TRACON with 10 Controllers Instead of a Requisite 12 had a Near Miss at JFK when 2 Planes Almost Landed on the Same Runway at the Same Time

Schumer: The FAA has Cut back on Staffing in NY and Around the Country, This Should Serve as a Wake-up Call

With Record Passenger Traffic Expected, Senator Calls for FAA to Study Future Demand at Newark, JFK and

In light of yesterday's news that the Air Traffic Control Tower at Bluegrass Airport in Lexington Kentucky only had one air traffic controller on duty, instead of the required two controllers when the Comair flight took off Sunday, today Senator Charles E. Schumer blasted the FAA for consistently short staffing air traffic control towers. This trend often leads to near misses, and in the case of the Comair jet a tragic accident.

"Air traffic controllers exist for a reason, to ensure that the planes taking off and landing are doing so safely. Sadly the FAA continues to short staff control towers in an effort to control costs while they eschew safety," Schumer said. "We have seen too many close calls, and now this week a tragic accident. The FAA needs to open their eyes, because as air traffic goes up, so too does the need for air traffic controllers. Half-staffing towers just doesn't cut it."

This past Sunday 49 people were killed and one injured when Comair Flight 5191 crashed into the woods trying to take off from Lexington, KY's Bluegrass Airport. The ensuing investigation has uncovered that only one air traffic controller was on duty at the time of the accident, though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that Bluegrass Airport must have two controllers on duty at all times.

In addition, last year, three planes on final approach at JFK came within 1,000 feet of one another. That same day two airliners were on course to land on the same runway at the same time. In the days following these incidents, it was revealed that there were only ten air traffic controllers working in the NY TRACON when the incident occurred instead of the usual twelve. Schumer has long believed that continued short staffing and labor strife between the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) has created a serious safety situation that, with ever increasing air traffic in New York area, could one day have dire consequences. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has reported understaffing at airports in Duluth, MN and Savannah, GA. In many situations the FAA is unwilling to pay controllers overtime for filling in for a coworker. Due to this policy, air traffic control stations often have to make do with an insufficient number of air traffic controllers.

In a letter to FAA administrator Marion Blakey, Schumer wrote, "Up until now there have been close calls and near misses. However, this tragedy must be a wake-up call for the FAA to re-examine its policy and make sure that airports have the controllers they need…the airspace above New York City is the most congested and complex in the world and there is no excuse for not having a sufficient number of well-trained professionals monitoring the skies at all time."

In light of this tragic accident, Schumer today asked the FAA to conduct a region wide study, to include the other towers and controller operations in the New York/New Jersey area, in order to ensure that there are enough controllers to meet the record passenger demand that is expected. Schumer asked the FAA to complete the study by October first of this year and include specific yearly recommendations and standards for how many full-time controllers each facility will need in order to deal with growing demand.

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=262411&&year=2006&