Air Traffic Controllers Suspended Over Hudson Crash

(NEWSER) - The National Transportation Board's view of the events that caused last weekend's crash over the Hudson River doesn't jibe with the FAA's, the Wall Street Journal reports. The NTSB chronology released yesterday suggests that errors from air traffic controllers—one of whom was one the phone to his girlfriend at the time of the crash—are partly to blame, while the FAA insists it has no reason to believe controller missteps played a role. More»

Supervisor who fell asleep on the job has been suspended

(NEWSER) - The air traffic supervisor who fell asleep early Wednesday at Reagan National Airport, forcing two planes to land on their own , was suspended yesterday. Federal officials say the veteran controller was also given a drug test, although the FAA will not confirm the testing or the results. The Washington Post reports that when the supervisor first returned to the radio after his nap, he did give a reason for his silence, telling one pilot it was due to a "stuck mike." More»

(NEWSER) - The Federal Aviation Administration today released remarkable audio recordings capturing pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger’s decision to land US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River. Sullenberger can be heard discussing the Jan. 15 landing with air-traffic control, CNN reports. As controllers scramble to find a runway for an emergency landing, Sullenberger coolly informs them, “We’re going to be in the Hudson.” More»

For three minutes, planes heard Samuel L. Jackson instead of instructions

(NEWSER) - Note to air traffic controllers: Watching a DVD at work may help to keep you awake, but ultimately it's not much better than napping. A controller in Oberlin, Ohio, learned that lesson the hard way early Sunday, when his microphone was accidentally activated and began transmitting the audio from the Samuel L. Jackson thriller Cleaner to all the planes in his airspace for more than three minutes. The controller and a manager have been suspended, the AP reports. More»

Another controller nodded off in Nevada yesterday

(NEWSER) - The head of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization resigned today, amid a wave of reports of air traffic controllers sleeping on the job . Hank Krakowski submitted his resignation this morning to FAA chief Randy Babbitt, the Washington Post reports, who promised a “top to bottom” review of the air traffic control system he leaves behind. More»